Skip to content
View in the app

A better way to browse. Learn more.
allnurses

A full-screen app on your home screen with push notifications, badges and more.

To install this app on iOS and iPadOS
  1. Tap the Share icon in Safari
  2. Scroll the menu and tap Add to Home Screen.
  3. Tap Add in the top-right corner.
To install this app on Android
  1. Tap the 3-dot menu (⋮) in the top-right corner of the browser.
  2. Tap Add to Home screen or Install app.
  3. Confirm by tapping Install.
Discussion

Assessing Station

So here I am in nursing school after years of being a childbirth educator and doula. Today I was excited our instructor was covering lady partsl exams, and I asked how the assessment of station is done. Does the nurse actually feel for the ischial spines in order to determine the station? Well, long story short, I didn't get a very satisfactory answer. Basically, she said you can tell the change from your last assessment. But how do you make the initial assessment then? Anyone care to educate me? Thanks.

  • Quote

    • Featured Replies

    No, you generally don't feel for ischial spines. It's just something that comes with time, and it's a very imperfect science. One person's 0 is another person's -2 or +1.

  • Quote

    I do feel for ischial spines. Since I am right handed, I can more easily reach the patient's right ischial spine which feels like a firm pad of tissue - I would not describe it as 'boney' - but there is more resistance than the rest of the lady partsl tissue. The left side is harder to assess, because I'm feeling it with the dorsal aspect of my finger, not the pad.

    I sweep my finger back to the presenting part and estimate how many fingerwidths above it is from the imaginary line formed at the level of the ischial spine.

    Positive station - particularly if the station is +2,+3 is estimated more by comparing to a previous exam - because sometimes it's hard/uncomfortable to assess the spines when the presenting part is low.

  • Quote

    I feel for ischial spines, but it IS an inexact and subjective measurement. I'm more interested in change over time than the exact station.

  • Quote

    • Join the conversation

    You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

    Guest
    Add a Comment
    Go to topic listing

    Currently Reading 0

    • No registered users viewing this page.

    Account

    Navigation

    Search

    Search

    Configure browser push notifications
    Chrome (Android)
    1. Tap the lock icon next to the address bar.
    2. Tap Permissions → Notifications.
    3. Adjust your preference.
    Chrome (Desktop)
    1. Click the padlock icon in the address bar.
    2. Select Site settings.
    3. Find Notifications and adjust your preference.