CNA Practice Test: Vital Signs

A normal adult resting pulse is 60 to 100 beats per minute. The range 12-20 is the normal rate for respirations, not pulse.

Adults normally breathe about 12 to 20 times a minute at rest. A rate well above or below this range should be reported.

The radial artery runs along the thumb side of the inner wrist. The pulse in the neck is the carotid pulse.

An irregular pulse changes from moment to moment, so a short count multiplied up can be wrong. A full 60-second count gives an accurate number.

Breathing is partly under voluntary control, so a resident who knows you are watching may breathe differently. Keeping your fingers on the wrist lets you count without drawing attention to it.

The bottom number is the diastolic pressure, measured while the heart rests between beats. The top number, 128, is the systolic pressure.

Blood pressure is not taken on an arm with an IV, a dialysis access, a cast or an injury. Inflating the cuff could damage the IV site.

A rectal temperature usually reads higher than an oral one, and an axillary (armpit) reading is the lowest of the three because it is measured on the skin surface.

Hot or cold drinks, eating and smoking change the temperature in the mouth, so you usually wait about 15 minutes. Waiting two hours is not necessary.

A blood pressure of 182/112 is far above normal and needs the nurse's attention at once. The other readings are within normal adult ranges.