Nursing Skills

blueyesue · Sep 1, 2012

It takes you 5 minutes to take a BP? Maybe you better find a new technique.

neldel · Sep 1, 2012

I think she means that she struggled with it previously, but after only five minutes of instruction, she has it down pat! WTG, Superstar! :yeah:

DawnJ · Sep 1, 2012

I just learned vitals and it took me a bit of practice to get the BP down. But still need practice counting the pulse. I found that talking to different instructors was helpful since everyone seems to have their own little tricks. I had such a hard time FINDING the radial pulse but with one sentence from a random RN, now I can find it with no problem.

blueyesue · Sep 2, 2012

I think she means that she struggled with it previously, but after only five minutes of instruction, she has it down pat! WTG, Superstar!

I was just teasing. :)

Mama_Cashew, ASN, RN · Sep 2, 2012

Please share because I am struggling with this so much. I am having so much trouble finding the brachial pulse!

kaydensmom01 · Sep 2, 2012

I am in my second year and have struggled with all of the skills. I have recieved A's in my classes, and have passed the skills tests' on my first try, but in clinical I really struggle. I still have trouble finding bp sometimes, because the brachial pulse is difficult to find on some patients. I still have trouble hearing heart sounds on most, and all of the skills have came slow to me. I have been practicing during the summer, so I will see where I am at when clinicals start in 2 weeks.

loriangel14, RN · Sep 2, 2012

I too had a terrible time taking a manual BP. My breakthrough came when I was doing a placement at a large mental health hospital and I had to do a BP on a patient.I fumbled around and finally the patient said " you are doing it wrong, here let me show you." She demonstrated on me.

My patient was a nurse.

DawnJ · Sep 2, 2012

I don't have a trick for the brachial other than to look for it at the fold of the arm more toward the pinkie finger side. (Ulna side)

For the radial, go to the base of the thumb where it joins the wrist, where you feel the bone of the radius start, then press pretty hard to occlude the artery for a second and let up pressure slowly until you feel the blood start pumping through the artery again. Other students also find it easier to have the patient's palm down and they grasp over the top of the arm rather than how we were taught which was to have the palm up.

KLBatchelor · Sep 2, 2012

If I have a hard time palpating the brachial pulse, I extend the arm fully (almost to the point of hyperextension) as long as it's comfortable to the patient. The extension seems to push the artery up, more superficially, making it easier to feel. I hope this works for you as well as it works for me! Keep practicing!