Clinical Nursing Skills and Techniques

One of the of the important things to know when starting an IV is the proper needle size to use. IV needles are sized by gauges, and the smaller the gauge number, the bigger the needle will be. In this article and video, I’ll discuss the three most common IV gauge needles you’ll encounter as a nurse: 18 […]

One of the important skills you’ll be doing as a nursing student or new nurse is starting IVs. A lot of nursing students are very nervous when they insert their first IV, because finding veins can be difficult. If you don’t find the vein properly, you can miss it completely, causing frustration and pain to […]

Many patients require the use of a peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC) as they continue to heal.  Doctors, nurse practitioners (or physicians assistants) insert PICC lines for patients who need IVs for a certain amount of time.  These long lasting IVs are much better for patients than the traditional IVs.  Nurses must make sure that the […]

Nurses may have to give an enema as part of their nursing responsibilities. It is important nurses learn how to give an enema properly to prevent too much patient discomfort. Enema administration is virtually painless as long as an experienced nursing professional gives the enema with good nursing skills. The process is important for patients who need […]

A nurse learns in nursing school how to give a subcutaneous (sub-q) injection. Giving a subcutaneous injection is a nursing skill that nurses must master to perform their jobs accurately. Nurses must have an exceptional level of expertise in human anatomy and injection techniques in order to administer these injections with the least amount of pain. […]

It is very important that nurses have the skills to attend to the wounds of a patient by mastering the skill of wet to dry dressing. Clinical nursing skills can encompass a wide variety of skills in order to help patients. There is no such thing as a small job or responsibility when it comes to […]

A nurse, while in nursing school, learns how to give IM (intramuscular) injections. Nurses must prepare to handle many different types of medical care for patients of all ages. One of the many procedures that nurses perform is the intramuscular injection (IM). The process can be very painful if not conducted in the proper manner. […]

Nurses have a great deal of responsibility when it comes to suctioning  patients with a tracheostomy. It is perhaps one of the biggest responsibilities that they have regarding airway management. The suctioning process should be done with a great deal of clinical skill and care to make patients comfortable. What is a Tracheostomy and How to […]

As nurses enter the clinical setting, they will have to know how to draw blood as part of their clinical skills experiences. It may be necessary to draw a patient’s blood for a number of reasons, and it is necessary to draw blood from patients in a manner in which does not cause them any […]

An important nursing skill nursing students learn in nursing school is how to insert a Foley catheter. The process of inserting a catheter is known as catheterization. Nurses must know how to indwell a foley catheter as one of the many duties of nursing. Inserting a Foley catheter is not an easy process and it […]

The process of inserting an NG tube has its risks, but once nurses gain experience in this area, they should be able to insert an NG tube without any level of difficulty. It is important that nurses know the reason that their patient has an NG tube in order to avoid any pitfalls that can […]

Nurses use the Leopold Maneuvers when caring for their pregnant patients. Nurses must remember to perform 4 specific actions as a part of these methods. The skill of the individual performing the maneuvers is critical to determining if the fetus is in the correct position so it is very important that nurses learn to execute […]

As nurses develop nursing skills in the nursing profession, they must learn the proper manner in which to care for chest tubes and how to change the chest tube dressing of their patients. Patients depend on the experience of nurses to ensure that their medical care is as precise as possible. What is a Chest Tube? A chest […]

Nurses have a number of responsibilities to perform to maintain their patients’ well being, including collecting blood specimens. Blood culture collections are needed to make sure that patients do not have any foreign organisms in their bloodstream that can prevent them from remaining healthy. This relatively simple procedure must be executed correctly to ensure that […]

Nurses must learn to place nasogastric tubes into patients correctly so that they can receive the medical services that they need. Even seasoned nurses who have mastered the skill of nasogastric tube placement must follow certain measures to verify the placement of the tube. The verification methods are a relatively easy clinical skill as long […]

Nurses must make sure that a PICC line remains functioning properly and that the dressing around it remains sterile.  PICC lines are catheters that help patients maintain their good health.  At some point, patients must have their PICC lines removed so that they can continue to maintain their good health. Nurses must be prepared to remove PICC lines […]

Hey Everyone, It has been a while since I have updated this nursing blog. I received another ask me a question. This question comes from Maria Capela and here is what she asked: “What’s the actual recital to tell a person when you are going to draw blood? For test purposes…and certification” Drawing Blood Procedure- […]