Ridiculous V/S...are you out of your mind?

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I had a CNA hand me the vitals and tell me a BP was low. She had 60/70 written down. She also admitted she does not know how to or want to use a manual cuff. :mad:

Specializes in LTC.
I've seen a fellow tech write her vitals with the MAP interpreted as the pulse, when I told her that MAP meant maximum amount of pressure, she gave me a blank look as if to say, "Did I ask you?" I believe to this day that she's still using the MAP as a pulse. :eek:

I thought MAP was mean arterial pressure?

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Specializes in LTC.
I've seen a fellow tech write her vitals with the MAP interpreted as the pulse, when I told her that MAP meant maximum amount of pressure, she gave me a blank look as if to say, "Did I ask you?" I believe to this day that she's still using the MAP as a pulse. :eek:

Ignorance....sad! Some people just don't know and don't want to know!

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Specializes in Float.
I thought MAP was mean arterial pressure?

:lol2: I stand corrected. Need to review my A & P! I wonder how she would take it if I go back and tell her that? :D

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Specializes in LTC.
:lol2: I stand corrected. Need to review my A & P! I wonder how she would take it if I go back and tell her that? :D

Probably still give you a blank look....I believe this quote now more than ever.."you can't fix stupid!"

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She'd probably have the same look my bichon frises have when they're puzzled by something strange.

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Specializes in Float.
She'd probably have the same look my bichon frises have when they're puzzled by something strange.

AHHRUUGGG!!!!

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Specializes in Float.

Like Scooby-Doo!!! My smilies are not working, I was looking for the rotfl smilie but it won't open.

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Specializes in LTC, Med-Surge, Ortho.

If the CNA brings me an off the wall blood pressure reading, I usually recheck it myself by machine then manually as part of my follow up. Some cna's know how to take bps manually but others don't remember how and to be honest, I would rather take the bp manually myself, then I can really be sure of a correct reading.

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Specializes in Med nurse in med-surg., float, HH, and PDN.

I worked at a place one time where tha CNA's took the V/S and wrote them on a list, which the nurse was supposed to chart, so that we would "be aware". WELL! I didn't get to charting until late in the shift and I came across this BP: 63/26. I was stunned and went tearing down the hall fully expecting to find a dead or nearly dead patient; she was just fine! I hunted down the CNA, who said,"Well, it didn't seem right, but I TOOK IT THREE TIMES, so...." ( And you didn't think you should COME FIND ME AND TELL MW????). The method was the automatic machine which people had been complaining about for a week or more. I had done a manual BP and it was WNL for this patient. I hid the automatic machine in a locked med room. It took a while for them to finally get the darn thing calibrated, and even then I never trusted it. I told my aides every shift I worked with them to remember to give the list to me right after they take the V/S instead of leaving it in the charting room for me to discover later. Jeesh!

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I worked at a place one time where tha CNA's took the V/S and wrote them on a list, which the nurse was supposed to chart, so that we would "be aware". WELL! I didn't get to charting until late in the shift and I came across this BP: 63/26. I was stunned and went tearing down the hall fully expecting to find a dead or nearly dead patient; she was just fine! I hunted down the CNA, who said,"Well, it didn't seem right, but I TOOK IT THREE TIMES, so...." ( And you didn't think you should COME FIND ME AND TELL MW????). The method was the automatic machine which people had been complaining about for a week or more. I had done a manual BP and it was WNL for this patient. I hid the automatic machine in a locked med room. It took a while for them to finally get the darn thing calibrated, and even then I never trusted it. I told my aides every shift I worked with them to remember to give the list to me right after they take the V/S instead of leaving it in the charting room for me to discover later. Jeesh!

WNL = We Never Looked :D

(from "The House of God"- NOT a RELIGIOUS BOOK- it's by an MD, about his years as a med student- and is hilarious ).

I hated charting vs someone else took....the facility 'had always done it that way', but it drove me nuts (for the reasons you mentioned above).

If someone came to me with an abnormal vs, I always made them redo it manually- they finally got to the point of not coming to me with the vs unless they'd already taken them 'the old fashioned way' (and thank God for the old fashioned way- when I actually hear it for myself) :D

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Specializes in Hospice, ONC, Tele, Med Surg, Endo/Output.
I had a CNA hand me the vitals and tell me a BP was low. She had 60/70 written down. She also admitted she does not know how to or want to use a manual cuff. :mad:

Did it ever dawn on her to recheck, or in fact to check the other arm before running to you first? Sounds like possibly a lazy, prideful CNA; or maybe a language barrier? Inservice needed, stat! Good luck with that one. Some remediation is in order. Make her do her work; but this is precisely why when working with assistants, if they give me an abnormal reading i just check the vitals myself to cover my butt. So relieved to not work acute care anymore.

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had a CNA take a temp on a new admission. The second I laid a hand on him I knew it was not 97.6- he was burning up!! She argued with me that the tympanic was right and I was crazy. I checked it orally- low and behold! it was 102.

Remember to treat the patient, not the machine.

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