Basic Assessment Skills

I remember this from school too. I felt the same way. All you're really doing is taking a history, so just act like it's a conversation between two people. Even experienced nurses read off the questions from a pre-printed form. The patient does not need to know that it's your second week of school. It'll be old hat before you know it.

Good luck,

L.

Were only in our 2nd week of the semester, and already were been thrown into doing basic verbal assessments. We've been practicing on each other, but its so fake and ackward. I would really like to hear an actuall basic assesment being done, but I can't find any audio clips. I have to start using these skills next week, and I don't want to be choppy and look insincere :uhoh21: . Any advice?

Only time and practice is going to REALLY help - IMO.

But try to make it more of a conversation than an "assessment"

or an "interview"

In your clinicals, try to find a nurse that you like and/or think is

a "good nurse" and observe her interactions with the patients.

Your assessments are ongoing, and sometimes just letting the pt.

talk will get all the info that you need (for an assignment, anyway)

Gather as much objective data as you can while talking....

(ie: is speech appropriate? grooming/hygiene ok? etc. etc.)

then start your head to toe physical assessment....

and even while palpating pedal pulses, etc. you

can gather further data from your patient while still "chatting"

Good luck! HTH!

Jenny

ADN Grad Dec 2005

Were only in our 2nd week of the semester, and already were been thrown into doing basic verbal assessments. We've been practicing on each other, but its so fake and ackward. I would really like to hear an actuall basic assesment being done, but I can't find any audio clips. I have to start using these skills next week, and I don't want to be choppy and look insincere :uhoh21: . Any advice?

Only time and practice is going to REALLY help - IMO.

But try to make it more of a conversation than an "assessment"

or an "interview"

In your clinicals, try to find a nurse that you like and/or think is

a "good nurse" and observe her interactions with the patients.

Your assessments are ongoing, and sometimes just letting the pt.

talk will get all the info that you need (for an assignment, anyway)

Gather as much objective data as you can while talking....

(ie: is speech appropriate? grooming/hygiene ok? etc. etc.)

then start your head to toe physical assessment....

and even while palpating pedal pulses, etc. you

can gather further data from your patient while still "chatting"

Good luck! HTH!

Jenny

ADN Grad Dec 2005