Nurse Checking Pulse Essay

How to Check a Patient’s Radial Pulse
Whether you are thinking of going into the medical field as a doctor or nurse or starting at the bottom as a certified nurse assistant, you will need to learn the basics of taking vital signs. The very first vital sign you learn as a medical student is taking a pulse. Pulse measures the rate at which your heart beats. Also the rhythm and the strength (strong or soft) can be determined as well. Checking pulse helps determine the condition of your heart; and gives clues about how well your heart is working. Possibly one day you will have a patient with an unknown condition and just by checking his pulse and determining the symptom can help save his or her life.
To begin this procedure you need to know about infection control and how to apply it, that means washing your hands. First, have paper towels on stand by. This helps prevent from getting previous germs back on your hands. Next turn on the faucet and get the water to a tepid
Have the patient lie down in the bed, this helps with an accurate recording, putting them in a relaxed state. When looking for a pulse there are various locations to check a person’s pulse depending on the patient’s state. Ordinarily, a nurse will check the client’s radial pulse. To find the radial pulse start by taking the patient’s wrist in your hand. Turn their hand palm-side up. Next, on the thumb side of the patient’s wrist slide your index finger and middle finger to the crevice of the hand. This should be in the groove of the forearm, down from the fold of the wrist and about an inch along from the base of their thumb.Use your two fingers to press firmly, but gently onto the location. It’s important to use those two fingers and not your thumb because your thumb has it’s very own pulse and can cause an inaccurate reading. When you have found the correct spot you should feel the