Lab Values Worksheet

[LWildman]

I am really looking for a lab values worksheet to take to clinicals with me so that I don't have to fill in all the names=saving time so I'm not awake till 5am. Does anyone have one from their nursing program they could send me? I need a list of like BUN, Creatinine, Sodium, Potassium, etc. etc.

[papawjohn]

Hey Lwildman

On a sheet of paper, draw a horizonal line. On the top half of the line, draw two short vertical lines (make three spaces) and on the bottom half draw three short vertical lines (four spaces). On the top line, fill in your Pt's Sodium, Chloride and Glucose. On the bottom side, Potassium, Bun, Creatinine and CO2.

Now look what you've got. On the top line you can "see" what IVFLUID your Pt needs. Get it? Glucose, Sodium, Chloride--like Dextrose 5% and Normal Saline.

And on the bottom, you have your Pt's kidney status: K-BUN-CREAT-CO2.

Aren't ya smart!!

Now make a line with two funnels. Like: >---<. starting on the left fill in platelets hgb and wbcs. you got cbc down except for some sniggly details can be important but never less like meancorpuscularvolume or diff--the breakdown of kinds>

I made up the first one--works so good for me. I borrowed the 2d one from millions of MDs (you'll see it in the progress notes all the time.)

Good Luck

Papaw John

[Daytonite, BSN, RN]

Thank you, papawjohn! You said it exactly as I would have, except with more panache! Part of being a nurse is to be creative. You should be able to find all the normal lab values on line if you can't find them in your textbooks. Use your Word program to put them into a table and save them in a file. Best thing is that if you lose the piece of paper they're printed on you can always print out another one. You've got all weekend to work on this, get on it. If we give you the answers we would be doing you an injustice. You will have many situations as a nurse where you will have to find answers on your own.

I will give you one tidbit. I wrote out Dig levels and K+ levels, etc. crazy small (reference the movie Cheats) on a piece of paper and taped it to the back of my name badge for quick checks.

[jsouza]

I need to write out my labs in the hospital. What is the best way to do it without writing them out one by one? There is a way that the MD's do them, but when I look at them, I am not able to interpret which ones are Na+ or K+. Thanks.

[APBT mom, LPN, RN]

jsouza said:

I need to write out my labs in the hospital. What is the best way to do it without writing them out one by one? There is a way that the MD's do them, but when I look at them, I am not able to interpret which ones are Na+ or K+. Thanks.

For the most part the MD's all write the same values in the same spots but I have seen it where they've made up their own or put values in different areas.

CBC is >---- is wbc, above the line is hbg, below the line is hct, and in the

CMP is ----l----l----

For the others I have made a fill in the blank style sheet that if you want I could post a copy that you can look at or use.

[Daytonite, BSN, RN]

jsouza said:

I need to write out my labs in the hospital. What is the best way to do it without writing them out one by one? There is a way that the md's do them, but when I look at them, I am not able to interpret which ones are na+ or k+. thanks.

The grid used to record cbc and electrolytes is discussed with links to how it is done on this previous thread: