Communicator
Use therapeutic communication techniques
Assess the client for actual/potential difficulty with communication
Assess verbal and nonverbal client communication needs
Professional communication – SBAR
Patient teaching
Asepsis and Infection Control
Communicable diseases and the modes of organism transmission (e.g., airborne, droplet,
contact)
Identify patients most at risk for infection.
Compare and contrast signs and symptoms of local and systemic infections.
Apply principles of infection control (e.g., hand hygiene, aseptic technique, isolation, sterile
technique, universal/standard precautions)
Vital Signs
Describe factors that cause variations in body temperature, pulse, oxygen saturation,
respirations, and blood pressure.
Stress, pain, brain injury, age, ethnicity, gender, daily variation, meds, physical activity, weight,
smoking.
Identify ranges of acceptable vital sign values for an adult.
• Temperature- 96.8-100.4F
• Pulse- 60-100 bpm
• O2 sat- 95-100%
• Respiration- 12-20
• Blood Pressure- Less 120/80
Identify when to take vital signs.
When patient first arrives, immediately after surgery, per Dr. orders. whenever you see the
need to if it is not less than the Dr has ordered.
Assess and respond to changes and/or trends in client vital signs.
Temperature- Assess body temperature with the back of the hand.
Core temperatures: rectal, tympanic, temporal, esophagus, pulmonary, urinary bladder,
Surface temperatures: skin, oral, axilla.
Pulse- Carotid and radial are the most common to assess because they are the easiest to
palpate. S1 is the tricuspid and mitral valves closing at end of ventricular filling before