HA question about elevated temp

Nursing Students Student Assist

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My first nursing student assistance thread! Yay! :laugh:

My health assessment lab partner told me at the beginning of the semester that they "run high" on temps and sure enough, their temperature has been high - in fact, outside of the range of normal all but once. The charting asks me to explain any finding outside the range of normal. I have no reason (nor do I think it's within my scope of practice as a nursing student) to diagnose any kind of infection. Can anyone give me any tips about how to explain a high temp?

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are you saying that your partner's temp is elevated and that this is a normal and expected condition for him/her? Wouldn't they have any knowledge of a possible reason for this or simply something he/she has noticed over the years?

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they did not give me a reason for the regularly higher temps - I got the impression that their normal was just on the high end of the range

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then i think that would be my explanation --- temp elvated but is normal for him/her as self reported.

you are correct that you cannot Dx infection as a nurse --- but if this happens on a regular basis and your partner is aware of it then unlikely to be an infection -- could be any number of things,, but would think that the person would have an idea of what causes it.. maybe something they are not comfortable sharing with a fellow student.

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Okay, thank you. That is actually what I wrote last time.

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Specializes in Acute Care, Rehab, Palliative.

[My health assessment lab partner told me at the beginning of the semester that they "run high" on temps and sure enough, their temperature has been high ]

Who are "they?"

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If a patient told me that I would chart something like. "Temp 99.3. Patient states "I normally run high.""

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Specializes in Pedi.

How "high" are we talking? There is a range of normal for temperatures and slightly above 98.6 could be and often is a normal variation.

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[My health assessment lab partner told me at the beginning of the semester that they "run high" on temps and sure enough, their temperature has been high ]

Who are "they?"

I'm trying to be as non-specific as possible, and unfortunately the English language does not have a gender-neutral singular pronoun. ;)

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Our text lists the normal range as 96.4-99.1 - the temp was 100.0.

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Specializes in Acute Care, Rehab, Palliative.
I'm trying to be as non-specific as possible, and unfortunately the English language does not have a gender-neutral singular pronoun. ;)

I meant who are you talking about? patients? coworkers? all the people at this clinical site? Who's temp were you taking? Did he mean everyone at this facilty has high temps?

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How "high" are we talking? There is a range of normal for temperatures and slightly above 98.6 could be and often is a normal variation.

Our text lists the normal range as 96.4 - 99.1; the temp was 100.0.

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