Published
Well because I live in Australia and have finished all my practicums. The only time I see a nurse using a stethoscope is for BP. I have mostly been on medical and surgical wards. So maybe its different in Australia to North America. I just wanted to know the Northern Hemisphere perspective.
:chair:
*Note to self-Do not have surgery in Australia* :rotfl: Just a little joke, but seriously no matter what dept you work in you should be assessing pts, and being lung, heart and bowel sounds are MAJOR parts of an assessment the nurses should be using a stethescope. I carry mine around my neck all the time. Are you actually WATCHING the nurse do an assessment without a stethescope or are you assuming they don't because you don't see them around thier necks?? I just ask this because a lot of nurses use the clip bands that hold the stethescope onto the waistband of thier pants. Just a thought.
Where I work I have seen MANY nurses just re-documenting what the previous nurse documented about their patients. There are many times where I have been with a preceptor, and never saw them with a stethoscope on them, let alone to listen to their patients with! This is SO unsafe! Pt's status can change so suddenly...
AussieKylie
410 Posts
I guess I think too much and always will do. I have a question that has posed in my lil brain wondering why I dont see Nurses use stethoscopes to listen to heart or lungs in the medical.surgical wards. I got taught in first year of nursing 'Clinical Health Assessment' that covers all the assessments of the anataomy. Wonder why it gets taught but its never used in reality. I guess its more used in Emergency Department.
Unlike shows say Scrubs, where I see the nurse wear a stethoscope around her neck??????
Do nurses in general surgical and medical wards, have a sthethoscope to use and listen to patients chest?
Very curious :)