Learn how to assess for costovertebral angle tenderness, also called CVA tenderness, in patients who are suspected of having a kidney infection. Assessing for CVA tenderness is quick and easy! The video and tutorial below will guide you in how to check for this tenderness. Who is at risk for costovertebral angle tenderness? Anyone who […]
Clinical Nursing Skills and Techniques
Clinical nursing skills and techniques: Browse our article database below to find great tips and tutorials for a variety of nursing skills such as giving an injection, putting on sterile gloves, catheter insertion, and much more. These articles and included videos are written to help give practical advice and show common techniques to nursing students, as well as those interested in the nursing profession. These can be a great way to learn how common procedures are performed. If you would like to know more about nursing skills, visit our main nursing skills overview article. To view an individual skill, just browse the articles below.
How to Remove Gloves Safely
As a nurse, you’ll be putting on gloves many times per day. In this article and video, I’ll talk about a quick technique on how to properly remove gloves so that you can prevent contamination or contact with dangerous germs/pathogens found on the outside of the gloves. Don’t forget to check out how to put on sterile […]
How to Put on Sterile Gloves | Donning Sterile Gloves Clinical Nursing Skills
A clinical nursing skill nurses must learn is how to put on sterile gloves. So, why do nurses wear sterile gloves? Short answer: to protect our patients. The sterile gloving technique is used to protect patients in the hospital and clinical settings from the spread of diseases and germs, especially while performing delicate procedures that could introduce […]
Eye Drop Administration with Punctal Occlusion
Learn how to instill eye drops as a nurse and how to perform punctal occlusion for glaucoma medications. It may seem like instilling eye drops into a patient’s eye is self-explanatory, but there are some very important steps you must follow to do this skill correctly. It is important to keep in mind exactly where […]
Crushing Medications for Feeding Tube and Oral Administration
Learn how to crush medications for feeding tube or oral administration as a nurse. Why do we crush medications? If a patient has a feeding tube or can’t swallow medications whole due to swallowing difficulties, we must crush the medication. When crushing medications it is important to perform this skill correctly so the correct dose is administered. […]
How to Split Pills in Half for Nurses
Learn how to split or half medications as a nurse. Why do we split pills? As a nurse, we may have to split a medication in order to equal the dosage ordered by the physician. For example, the physician may order 2 mg of a medication, but you’re only supplied with a 4 mg tablet. […]
How to Spike and Prime an IV Bag
Learn how to spike an IV bag and how to prime IV tubing. IV therapy is a standard part of patient care, and as a nurse you will be spiking and priming thousands of IV bags over your career. This skills takes a little bit of practice, but once you learn it, you will never forget […]
Colostomy Irrigation for Nurses
Learn how to perform colostomy irrigation. The purpose of colostomy irrigation is to remove stool by instilling an enema through the stoma which stimulates the colon to empty it contents. The physician may order irrigation if the stoma is not putting out enough stool “constipation” or the patient wants to train the colon with irrigation. […]
How to Change an Ostomy Bag for Nurses
Learn how to change an ostomy pouch. Patients who have experienced inflammatory bowel disease or trauma to the gastrointestinal system may have a GI ostomy (colostomy or ileostomy). As the nurse, you must know how to change a pouching system. In this article, you will learn how to change a pouching system. If you’re studying […]
Donning and Doffing PPE NCLEX Review
Donning (applying) and doffing (removing) personal protective equipment NCLEX review for nursing students! In this review, you will learn the sequences for putting on and taking off personal protective equipment (also called PPE), such as a gown, face mask and respirator, goggles, and gloves. This review will demonstrate one of the sequences you can use […]
How to Use an Incentive Spirometer
In this article, you will learn how to use an incentive spirometer. As a nursing student or nurse, it is very important you know how to properly use an incentive spirometer. In the previous review, I covered an NCLEX review over the incentive spirometer which included a NCLEX style question. So, be sure to check that […]
Lung Auscultation Points and Sounds
Learn lung auscultation points and normal breath sounds vs abnormal breath sounds. This article will highlight everything you need to know about assessing a patient’s lung sounds. As a nursing student or nurse, it is important you know how to correctly assess a patient during a head-to-toe assessment. Listening to lung sounds are a vital […]
How to Mix Insulin Clear to Cloudy
Learn how to mix insulin clear to cloudy. Drawing up and mixing insulin is a skill that nurses will utilize on the job. Insulin is administered to patients who have diabetes. These type of patients depend on insulin so their body can use glucose. Therefore, nurses must be familiar with how to mix insulin. The goal […]
Auscultating the Heart
During the nursing head-to-toe assessment, the nurse will be listening to the heart with a stethoscope. Auscultating the heart allows the nurse to assess the heart’s rhythm, rate, and sound of valve closure. The nurse will be assessing S1 and S2 while noting if there are any S1 and S2 splits or extra heart sounds […]
Carotid Artery & Jugular Vessel Distention | Nursing Head-to-Toe Assessment
During the nursing head-to-toe assessment the nurse will assess the carotid artery and vessels of the neck for distention. This assessment is particularly important in middle-aged to older adults, especially those who have a history of cardiac disease. The nurse assesses for a bruit which can be a sign of atherosclerotic narrowing, the amplitude/contour of the […]
How to Check Vital Signs | Checking Vitals
Checking vitals is an essential skill nurses learn in nursing school. The vital signs assessment is performed routinely in all health care settings by both nurses and nursing assistants. Vital signs allow the nurse to know how well the patient is doing or responding to treatment. In this article, I will demonstrate how to check vitals […]
Achilles (Heel) Deep Tendon Reflex Assessment
As a nurse and nursing student, you will learn how to assess the deep tendon reflexes. In this article, I will discuss how to assess the achilles tendon reflex along with a video demonstration. The deep tendon reflex examination is part of the neuro assessment for the nursing head to toe assessment. This assessment is […]
Patellar (Knee) Deep Tendon Reflex Assessment
As a nurse and nursing student, you will learn how to assess the deep tendon reflexes. In this article, I will discuss how to assess the patellar tendon reflex along with a video demonstration. The deep tendon reflex examination is part of the neuro assessment for the nursing head to toe assessment. This assessment is […]
Biceps Deep Tendon Reflex Assessment
As a nurse and nursing student, you will learn how to assess the deep tendon reflexes. In this article, I will discuss how to assess the biceps tendon reflex along with a video demonstration. The deep tendon reflex examination is part of the neuro assessment for the nursing head to toe assessment. This assessment is usually […]
Brachioradialis Deep Tendon Reflex Assessment for Nurses & Nursing Students
As a nurse and nursing student, you will learn how to assess the deep tendon reflexes. In this article, I will discuss how to assess the brachioradialis tendon reflex along with a video demonstration. The deep tendon reflex examination is part of the neuro assessment for the nursing head to toe assessment. This assessment is […]
Triceps Deep Tendon Reflex Assessment for Nurses & Nursing Students
As a nurse and nursing student, you will learn how to assess the deep tendon reflexes. In this article, I will discuss how to assess the triceps tendon reflex along with a video demonstration. The deep tendon reflex examination is part of the neuro assessment. This assessment is usually conducted during the head-to-toe nursing assessment. […]
Tips for Drawing Blood | Nursing Students, New Nurses, & Phlebotomist
Are you having trouble drawing blood on patients? Need some tips on how to draw blood and be successful? I remember as a nursing student that I struggled with drawing blood. I always had trouble finding a vein and if I did find a vein I ended up missing it. However, after working as a […]
Question about Peri-care?
So this will probably seem like a really dumb question and that I’m over thinking things. I am a second-year nursing student and recently was assigned to a 91 year-old patient in the hospital, and I was helping her in the washroom. I know that we are taught to wipe from front to back to […]
How to Care for a Jackson-Pratt Drain as a Nursing Student & Nurse
This article will discuss how to care for a Jackson-Pratt Drain (JP Drain) as a nurse or nursing student. JP drains are commonly used in the health care setting. Therefore, it is important you know how to properly care for a patient with a Jackson-Pratt drain. What is a Jackson-Pratt Drain? A JP drain is a […]
What is F-DAR Charting? FDAR Charting Examples
As a nursing student and new nurse you will be required to chart in the FDAR format (the is usually the charting standard in most healthcare facilities) . So, what is F-DAR charting? What are examples of FDAR charting? FDAR stands for Focus (F), Data (D), Action (A), and Response (R ). It is a handy […]
What is the Best Way to Understand and Master a Patient’s Chart?
One of the things that are most daunting to learn as a nursing student or new nurse is how to understand all the material in a patient’s chart. The patient’s chart contains so much material and figuring out what is important for you to do your job as a nurse can be confusing. I recently […]
How to Use an A.E.D. in CPR on an Adult & Child | Automated External Defibrillator
When you take a CPR certification course (or re-certify) you have to demonstrate proper usage on how to use A.E.D. device. An A.E.D. device is an external defibrillator that will deliver an electrical shock to a victim’s heart to reset it. A victim’s heart rhythm would need to be “reset” if they were in a […]
Common Reasons People Miss Veins When Starting IVs & Drawing Blood
Most new nurses find that starting IVs and drawing blood can be a difficult task to perform at first. When I was a new nurse I had difficulty finding a vein to draw blood from and to start an IV in, and if I did find a vein I often missed it. This caused frustration […]
How to Complete a Nursing Care Plan for Clinical Exam
Hello Registered Nurse RN. Your website and Youtube videos are awesome, they are easy to follow and very helpful. I need help with care plans and am unsure where to post this to get your help, I could not find a place to ask, but if you can offer some advice for me for next week. […]
How to Take a Pulse | Taking a Pulse Clinical Nursing Skills
Patients may need to have their pulses taken for a variety of reasons. The most common reason patients have their pulses taken is because they have a medical illness, such as heart disease. Nurses must keep a record of their patients’ pulse rate to make sure that they are in good enough condition to take […]