My school has not yet recommended a book that will help us interpret diagnostics and laboratory values. I have looked at several lab books on amazon.com and vitalsource.com. Many of them list the lab values and then relate medical conditions with low values and high values. My question is this:
Is there a good book for lab values that give more than these two items (ranges & medical conditions which relate to low and high values)? I am seeking a lab book which is for students / beginners. For example, is there a book in which if there is a particular abnormal value, then it will give us an algorithm as a guide?
OP I really hope the best for you. But the fact that you are 6 months from graduation and don't know the very easy handful of mostly non specific labs I listed really scares me. I could probably rattle off another 50 more that most ICU RNs should know including interventions. Might I suggest a residency program when you graduate? I would not feel safe to practice if I were you.
This is why I am leery of for profit schools like Chamberlain. The school I am attending has a dedicated diagnostics class just for this reason.
Thanks for the opinion. I will go ahead and study these on my own. Also, you keep saying OP. What does this mean? I do not use the forums a lot.
The lab book assigned to us was the Mosby's Manual of Diagnostic and Lab Tests. Each value is explained and would also tell you what an increased/decreased value would mean. It would not tell you the interventions. You'll have to look it up on your own. I also downloaded apps and used other books for better understanding of these values.
Let me just say that my first semester class was the hardest.... Many students failed and had to take the class again. That's why I used multiple references. In a way, I am very thankful for that class (and instructor who was very hard on us) because i studied hard!
Well anyway, good luck to you nurselove! The board exams are challenging too so you many want to start hitting the books ;-)
I also know what basic interventions are. But at a nurse practitioner level, I feel that we should be able to critically think when looking at lab values. For example, just by looking at a lab value, one should be able to diagnose anemia. There are many things like this that NPs should know. My preceptor, who is a physician, sits down with me and evaluates the daily labs that we get from the lab company. He is able to interpret them at a higher level than I. I would like to be able to critically think about the lab levels also. This level of thinking should be beyond diagnosing hyperkalemia or hyponatremia. For example, we should be able to think what is the underlying reason the patient has these conditions rather than stopping at hyperkalemia and just treating it.
Yes! NPs are good at interpreting labs. They are great critical thinkers. Some of them are even better than some of the doctors. Not sure if I am understanding what you want to know or understand about lab values. Please explain further if I misunderstood.
We should be able to diagnose anemia just by looking at the labs. We should know what to do next with a low H/H so we can appropriately diagnose. And with hyperkalemia or hypernatremia, depending on the patient's condition, an NP do not just stop and treat it. It involves a lot of critical thinking. She/he may treat it but must be 100% sure first that there are no other underlying causes. For example, for heart failure patients who have low sodium, i would not necessarily treat the slight decrease in sodium. As you know, we limit sodium intake for these patients for a reason. However, Is the patient having any change in mentation? How's his/her overall health? These concepts were learned in school and in my past RN experience as well.
Yes! NPs are good at interpreting labs. They are great critical thinkers. Some of them are even better than some of the doctors. Not sure if I am understanding what you want to know or understand about lab values. Please explain further if I misunderstood.
We should be able to diagnose anemia just by looking at the labs. We should know what to do next with a low H/H so we can appropriately diagnose. And with hyperkalemia or hypernatremia, depending on the patient's condition, an NP do not just stop and treat it. It involves a lot of critical thinking. She/he may treat it but must be 100% sure first that there are no other underlying causes. For example, for heart failure patients who have low sodium, i would not necessarily treat the slight decrease in sodium. As you know, we limit sodium intake for these patients for a reason. However, Is the patient having any change in mentation? How's his/her overall health? These concepts were learned in school and in my past RN experience as well.
The lab book assigned to us was the Mosby's Manual of Diagnostic and Lab Tests. Each value is explained and would also tell you what an increased/decreased value would mean. It would not tell you the interventions. You'll have to look it up on your own. I also downloaded apps and used other books for better understanding of these values.
Let me just say that my first semester class was the hardest.... Many students failed and had to take the class again. That's why I used multiple references. In a way, I am very thankful for that class (and instructor who was very hard on us) because i studied hard!
Well anyway, good luck to you nurselove! The board exams are challenging too so you many want to start hitting the books ;-)
I bought the same book. It's pretty nice. I love the long explanations.
nurselove757
133 Posts
Thanks for the opinion. I will go ahead and study these on my own. Also, you keep saying OP. What does this mean? I do not use the forums a lot.