Head to Chest Assessment (H2C)

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If you read this blog, you're following me and my journey through a gauntlet of life. This includes nursing school and working with a non-profit while trying to create my own. wild. Do I have a life? Sometimes it's hard to tell. 
But currently at this stage in schooling, I'm taking Health Assessment I and Fundamentals I (Skills). Between Foley catheter and Nasogastric tubing, it can get a little frazzling. Intense might be a better word. It seems like it's at the point of running together, and that's okay...
Other than vital signs (Temp, pulses, pulse ox., BP, etc.) our formal check off or lab assessment is our head to chest assessment. It's required a lot of lab practice time, and scripting.
Here are some tips if you might be struggling:

  • If you do not have mandatory open lab time, do it anyway. Being in the lab setting can really put your mental state in the right place before practicing... and that goes for any procedure. They also might have the resources that you need. 
  • Time yourself. Our assessment had a time limit of 20 minutes... seems like a lot. 
  • Script it! I wrote out scripts (I will share part of it in an additional tab) just so I could write out everything I would need to say. I might not have used it or printed it out, but typing out the script made me analyze what would need to be said 
  • Use a cheat sheet when practicing. Other than having a patient and having someone check you off, try using a cheat sheet. It can help you with phrasing if you have difficulty. Nurses Lab Head to Toe Cheat Sheet
Most of all - good luck! 

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