Question

A nurse requests that you take a resident's pulse at the apical site. What should you do?

A. Place a stethoscope over the resident's heart, count the number of beats in a minute, and record the result.
B. Place two fingers under the resident's chin on the left side, count the number of beats in a minute, and record the result.
C. Hold the resident's wrist, count the number of beats in a minute, and record the result.
D. None of the above

Answer 1

To take a resident's pulse at the apical site, place a stethoscope over the heart, count the beats for one minute, and record the number.

Step-by-step explanation:

When a nurse requests that you take a resident's pulse at the apical site, you should place a stethoscope over the resident's heart, count the number of beats in a minute, and record the result. This approach is known as auscultation and is considered one of the simplest yet effective diagnostic techniques to assess the state of a patient's heart. The apical pulse is generally found at the left side of the chest, below the nipple and slightly towards the midline, where the apex of the heart is located. Auscultation provides more accurate heart rate information, especially if peripheral pulses are weak or irregular.