Basic Nursing Skills and Vital Signs
Vital signs
Normal adult ranges: oral temperature about 97.6 to 99.6 F, pulse 60 to 100 per minute, respirations 12 to 20 per minute, blood pressure around 120/80, and oxygen saturation 95 to 100 percent. The resident's own baseline matters more than a single number; a change is what you report. Pain is often called the fifth vital sign.
Temperature: wait 15 to 20 minutes after hot or cold food or drink, or smoking, before an oral reading. Avoid the oral route for a resident who is unconscious, confused, mouth-breathing, or receiving oxygen by mask. Pulse: use the radial artery; if the rhythm is irregular, count a full minute; note rate, rhythm, and force. Respirations: keep your fingers on the wrist and count without announcing it so breathing stays normal. Blood pressure: cuff at heart level, correct cuff size, arm supported.
Other basic skills
Measure intake and output in milliliters. Weigh on the same scale, at the same time of day, with the same clothing. Collect specimens per policy and label them at the bedside. Measure and record, then report abnormal values to the nurse: measuring is the aide's job, interpreting is the nurse's.
Traps
Counting respirations for 15 seconds and multiplying incorrectly, or announcing that you are counting. Taking an oral temperature right after coffee. Charting a value you did not actually measure.
Rule of thumb
Any value outside the normal range, or a large change from the resident's baseline, gets reported to the nurse. You do not decide it is fine.