Is this normal?

[jw123]

hey, I was shadowing a podiatrist over the weekend and afterwards i realized that not once did he take vitals or anything on any of his patients. is this normal? i was just wondernig because shouldn't they at least take vitals because what if something happened to them while in their office, or for example what if their BP was very low and needed to call an ambulance?


Thanks

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[allenmarchallo]

hey, I was shadowing a podiatrist over the weekend and afterwards i realized that not once did he take vitals or anything on any of his patients. is this normal? i was just wondernig because shouldn't they at least take vitals because what if something happened to them while in their office, or for example what if their BP was very low and needed to call an ambulance?


Thanks

Does he have a tech?......After pt. check-in does he escort the pt. into the office or does someone else? (tech.).....I know atleast when I shadow and follow around the doc. his tech escorts them into the room & quickly gets their bp.....It only takes <30 secs....

So, if you were shadowing the doc. while he was with another pt. & just walking to room to room, it's possible that his tech. is just fast.....I never noticed this either until I saw the pt. chart & saw the B.P annotated.

 

[JEWmongous]

hey, I was shadowing a podiatrist over the weekend and afterwards i realized that not once did he take vitals or anything on any of his patients. is this normal? i was just wondernig because shouldn't they at least take vitals because what if something happened to them while in their office, or for example what if their BP was very low and needed to call an ambulance?

Thanks

At the wound care center I shadow my pod at, the nurses take the vitals (bp, temp, etc) before he goes in the room. This center is located within a medium sized hospital. The DPM will often check the pulses of the dorsalis pedis + posterior tibial arteries, test touch sensation with a monofilament, etc. I've actually seen him check use his stethoscope a few times and palpate an abdomen once or twice (I think to see if the abdomen was distended)

 

[jw123]

i don't know i followed him in with the patients right from the wating room and never saw them take vitals but I could have misssed them. Also, when the podiatrist goes into see the patient do they usually do a complete set of vitals/physical exam (BP pulse, pupils, listen to lung sounds, etc...) like the nurses do and then the FP doctor does another when he gets in the room, for example. because the doc i shadowed didn't even keep a stethoscope with him, and thinking of it i didn't even see any of the nurses either but i thought it was wierd that the doctor wouldn't do any of these things

 

[SportPOD]

Vitals aren't necessary for every patient that enters into your office. If they are new patients or established patients that have an infection going on, it's best to have some vitals on board. It is good practice management to take vitals on every patient because it bumps up your level service for that visit.