NR 569 Week 4 Discussion; Reflections on Simulation Experience and Diagnoses

3. List all of the diagnostic tools used during your patient encounter including when they were ordered using the chart below. Explain your decision to start with the first test that was ordered. Was the test appropriate for the initial differential? Test ordered Time stamp Vital signs 1:45 Lung exam 4:22 Blood test 4:32 ABG 5:17 Exam legs 5:52 I felt my decision to start with vital signs was correct because we always need a baseline set. If 5 minutes later the patient was unresponsive, I had no baseline vitals to go off and monitor where the change occurred whether oxygen or blood pressure. The patient was unable to breath, the first thing we think of is airway. The vitals showed the patients room air oxygen saturation was low, and this is when I placed the patient on 4 L NC and her saturation improved. I believe the order of all my tests, not just the initial vital signs, was done in a correct order. I will always start with vital signs and then move forward with the body system for the chief complaint, in this case airway which is why I moved to lung exam after my baseline vital signs. I could have done ABG’s prior to blood work in this case, but overall, I believe I was successful in the order to help my patient.