Ch. 10: Career Skills in Diagnostic Services (Slides 14-26)

Ch. 10 Career Skills in Diagnostic Services (Slides 14-26)

1. Technical Skills
- Vital signs
- Height & weight
- Positioning
- Vision/Hearing
- First Aid
2. Employability Skills

Technical Skills for Diagnostic Workers

• Vital Signs are the key measurements that provide information about a person's health.

• The term "vital" means "needed for life"

• Healthcare workers must know the normal ranges for each vital sign as well as the techniques for accurately measuring them.
  
  

Measuring Vital
Signs

Temperature

• Different thermometers and methods

Pulse

• Count the number of beats in one minute

Respiration

• Count a patient’s breaths in one minute

Blood pressure

• Sphygmomanometer

Measuring Height and Weight

• Not considered vital signs, but measured periodically to provide information about overall health

• Different types of scales for weight (digital or mechanical weighing scale)

• Follow specific steps to measure height and weight, depending on the scale you’re using

• Some patients (those in a wheelchair or confined to bed) are special cases

Critical Thinking...

What tools do you need when measuring vital signs?

• Thermometer

  • oral (mouth)

  • rectal (rectum)

  • axillary (armpit)

  • tympanic (ear)

  • temporal (temple)

• Stethoscope

  • used to measure apical pulse; bottom of the heart, left side of chest

• Watch

  • used to manually measure pulse and count respirations

• Sphygmomanometer

  • mercury, aneroid, digital

Critical Thinking...

Height and weight are not vital signs. Why is getting this information so important to patient health?

• Increased weight can indicate retention of fluid, which is common in heart and kidney disease.

• Unexplained weight loss can signal disease.

• Changes in weight may require a change in medication dosage.

Positioning a Patient

• Specific body positions required for imaging

  • Supine/dorsal recumbent position

  • Fowler’s position

  • Prone position

  • Sim’s position

  • Lateral/lateral recumbent position

• Body alignment

  • Ensure Pt's spine is not twisted or crooked

  • Use pillows to provide comfort and maintain alignment (what can this prevent?)

Screening Vision and Hearing

• Children in schools are frequently screened for

  • Visual acuity

    • Nearsightedness (myopia)

    • Farsightedness (hyperopia)

  • Hearing loss

    • Uses an audiometer

    • Tests are performed twice with a week between them

    • Temporary hearing loss may be due to a cold or other infection

    • Refer child to a medical professional to determine cause of hearing loss

Providing First Aid

All healthcare workers can and should seek first aid training

• Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR)

• Using an automated external defibrillator (AED)

• Treating a choking victim

• Checking an injured or ill adult

• Understand your scope of practice in emergencies

Emergency First Aid Procedures

• Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR)

  • supplies oxygen to brain and organs until medical help arrives

• Automated external defibrillator (AED)

  • delivers an electric shock to the heart to restore normal rhythm

• Clearing airway obstructions

  • 5 back blows followed by 5 abdominal thrusts

Other Important Terms Regarding First Aide

• Do not Resuscitate (DNR)

  • Is an order that states a patient does not wish to be saved in the event of a life threatening emergency.

• Cardiac Arrest

  • When a person's heart stops beating or does not beat well enough to circulate blood to the brain and other vital organs

• Stroke

  • Occurs when blood flow to part of the brain is cut off

Critical Thinking...

List situations that might require emergency first aid.

Examples:

• Cardiac emergencies

• Breathing emergencies

• Sudden illness

• Environmental emergencies

• Soft tissue injuries

• Muscle, bone, and joint injuries

Checking an Injured Adult

• Perform ABC check

  • Airway is clear

  • Breathing is ok

  • Circulation (look for severe bleeding)

• Call 911 immediately if you see these problems

  • Unconsciousness

  • Trouble breathing

  • No breathing or movement

  • Severe bleeding

Employability Skills for Healthcare Workers

Succeeding on the job...

• Be on time

• Dress appropriately

• Learn names

• Listen closely

• Follow instructions

• Work hard and be productive

Following Professional Standards

• Work within your scope of practice

• Use correct, approved methods for all procedures

• Seek proper authorization for all procedures

• Address patients by name

• Obtain patient consent

• Maintain confidentiality

• Provide high-quality care at all times to everyone

• Report errors to your supervisor immediately

• Stay calm

• Act with integrity

Understanding Your Paycheck

Depending on your work place you can get paid each week, every other week, twice each month, or once each moth.

• Gross pay

  • The total amount of money earned in a pay period

• Net pay

  • Amount of money received in a pay period after all deductions have been taken out; also known as take home pay

Match

Match the vital signs:

• counts/measures the number of heartbeats

• counts/measures a patients breaths

• measures body temp

• measures the force of blood pushing against the inside of the blood vessel walls

pulse

respirations

temperature

blood pressure

• pulse

• respirations

• temperature

• blood pressure

Multiple Choice

What first aid measure keeps the brain and other vital organs supplied with oxygen until advanced medical care arrives?

• cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR)

• Automated external defibrillator (AED)

• Heimlich Maneuver

• applying a tourniquet

Multiple Select

Which emergency situation would require emergency first aid (select 2)

• cardiac arrest

• breathing difficulties

• scraped knee

• superficial cut

Multiple Choice

Being successful on the job does not require you to work hard and follow instructions

• true

• false