Vital Signs - Do you have any tips?

[MarkinAZ]

Hi, I failed the vital signs; taking the pulse. I was wondering if any of you have any tips. I was thinking I could take the pulse several times to make sure I'm arriving at the same beats per minute each time. My handbook doesn't say anything about only being able to take the pulse once. So I thought, why don't I just count it as many times as I need to make sure I'm getting the same pulse each time. Any thoughts or tips?

Thanks.

[northernguy]

Your pulse rate does not remain constant, it changes all the time, so if you took it for 30 seconds or a minute several times in succession, you probably wouldnt get the exact same number every time, regardless of whether your count was dead accurate each time.

I would assume when you were tested, the person testing you felt one wrist while you felt the other and you were informed to begin counting for one minute at a certain time, then if what you got didnt closely match what the other person got, you failed. Pretty simple really.

When checking pulse rate, you palpate a pulse in the radial artery of the wrist, then either count it for 30 seconds then multiply by two, or count it for an entire minute. It should be within normal ranges, generally 60 to 100 per minute. Lower than 60 means they are bradycardic, higher than 100 means tachycardic. High pulse rate can be caused by physical exertion or even emotional distress and excitement, as well as signalling something is wrong, such as the onset of most forms of shock.

You can also note the quality and rythym of the pulse, is it strong, is it weak and thready, is it regular, is it irregular? But for CNA purposes just counting it should suffice.

If you are struggling checking a pulse, I would definitely review your lessons on vital signs, because checking pulse rate is probably the easiest one to do. Blood pressure can be more difficult to do accurately.