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HLT-MEDI38-02 · Lesson 3 · 14.5 clock hours · lab

Vital Signs: Temperature, Pulse, and Respiration

Objective. Students will obtain oral, axillary, and tympanic temperatures; radial and apical pulse rates; and respiratory rates within clinically accepted measurement tolerances, documenting results correctly in a paper chart and electronic health record field.

⚠ Pending professional review

This lesson, its worked examples and its practice questions has not yet been verified by a licensed clinician in the field or by a certification or approval body. It is a study draft and may contain errors. Do not use it to make decisions about any patient or medication. Always follow your instructor, your supervising professional, and current official references and regulations.

VoTechWorks program approval and accreditation are still in progress. Credentials are issued only by the certifying bodies named in each program, after their own exams.

Why Vital Signs Matter

Vital signs are the most basic measurements that tell you whether a patient's body is functioning within normal limits. Temperature, pulse, and respiration — along with blood pressure and oxygen saturation — give the care team a snapshot of physiological status at a given moment. As a medical assistant, you will obtain these measurements dozens of times each day. Accuracy is not optional: an undetected fever, an irregular pulse, or abnormal breathing can signal a life-threatening condition. Document every value precisely and report abnormal findings to the licensed provider immediately.

Body Temperature

Normal Values

Normal adult oral temperature is generally accepted as approximately 98.6°F (37°C), though a range of roughly 97°F–99°F is considered normal depending on the individual, time of day, and activity level. Axillary (armpit) readings typically run about 1°F lower than oral; tympanic (ear canal) readings are close to oral values but can vary by technique and equipment.

Routes and Equipment

Oral route: Use a digital thermometer with a disposable probe cover. Place the probe under the tongue in the posterior sublingual pocket. Ask the patient to close the lips and breathe through the nose. Wait for the audible signal. Do not take an oral temperature if the patient has eaten, drunk, smoked, or chewed gum within the past 15–20 minutes, or if the patient cannot hold the probe safely (e.g., young children, confused patients).

Axillary route: Place the probe in the center of the dry axilla with the patient's arm held firmly against the body. This route is less accurate but useful when the oral or tympanic route is contraindicated.

Tympanic route: Gently straighten the ear canal by pulling the pinna up and back in adults (down and back in young children). Insert the tympanic probe snugly and press the scan button. Remove promptly when the device signals. Excess cerumen or improper positioning can produce falsely low readings.

Safety point: Always apply a fresh probe cover before each patient measurement and dispose of it immediately after. Never share probe covers between patients. Follow your facility's infection-control policy.

Pulse

Normal Values

Normal adult resting pulse is 60–100 beats per minute. Rates below 60 are called bradycardia; rates above 100 are called tachycardia. When documenting, note rate, rhythm (regular or irregular), and volume (strength).

Radial Pulse

Locate the radial pulse on the thumb side of the inner wrist. Use your index and middle fingers — never your thumb, which has its own pulse. Apply light to moderate pressure. Count beats for a full 60 seconds. A shorter count interval (e.g., 30 seconds × 2) is permissible for a known regular rhythm, but a full 60-second count is best practice for initial assessments or any suspected irregularity.

Apical Pulse

The apical pulse is auscultated with a stethoscope placed over the apex of the heart — the point of maximal impulse, located at approximately the fifth intercostal space at the midclavicular line on the left chest. Count each lub-dub sound as one beat for a full 60 seconds. The apical rate is the most accurate pulse measurement and is required for patients with irregular rhythms, for infants and young children, and before administering certain cardiac medications per provider order.

Pulse Deficit

A pulse deficit exists when the apical rate is greater than the radial rate, measured simultaneously by two examiners. A deficit indicates that some cardiac contractions are not generating enough force to produce a palpable peripheral wave. Document both values and notify the provider.

Safety point: If you detect an irregular pulse, a very slow rate, a very fast rate, or a pulse deficit, report findings to the supervising provider before the patient leaves the area. Do not diagnose — describe and document what you observed.

Respiration

Normal Values

Normal adult resting respiration rate is 12–20 breaths per minute. The term for normal breathing is eupnea. Rates above 20 breaths per minute at rest are called tachypnea; rates below 12 are called bradypnea.

Technique

Count respirations immediately after counting the pulse, while still holding the patient's wrist. Patients who know their breathing is being watched tend to alter their rate; keeping your fingers on the wrist makes the observation less obvious. Count each rise of the chest as one breath for a full 60 seconds. Also note depth (shallow, normal, deep) and pattern (regular, irregular, labored).

Safety point: Labored or irregular breathing, accessory muscle use, or an abnormal rate should be reported to the provider promptly.

Documenting Vital Signs

Record values immediately after measurement — never from memory after seeing multiple patients. On a paper flow sheet, enter date, time, value, and your initials. In the EHR training module, enter each value in the correct field, confirm the units (°F vs. °C, beats/min, breaths/min), and save. Correct errors per your facility's policy: in a paper chart, draw a single line through the error, write the correct value, date, and initial; never use correction fluid. In an EHR, follow the software's amendment process.

Key Takeaways

Key terms10

EupneaNormal, unlabored breathing at a rate of 12–20 breaths per minute in an adult at rest.
TachypneaAn abnormally fast respiratory rate, generally defined as more than 20 breaths per minute in an adult at rest.
BradypneaAn abnormally slow respiratory rate, generally defined as fewer than 12 breaths per minute in an adult at rest.
Apical pulseThe heartbeat as heard through a stethoscope placed over the apex of the heart; the most accurate pulse measurement site.
Pulse deficitThe numerical difference when the apical pulse rate exceeds the radial pulse rate, measured simultaneously; indicates that some cardiac contractions are not producing a palpable peripheral pulse.
Axillary temperatureBody temperature measured in the armpit; typically about 1°F lower than oral temperature and considered the least accurate of the common routes.
Tympanic temperatureBody temperature measured in the ear canal using an infrared sensor; approximates core temperature when correct technique and positioning are used.
BradycardiaA resting pulse rate below 60 beats per minute in an adult.
TachycardiaA resting pulse rate above 100 beats per minute in an adult.
Point of maximal impulse (PMI)The location on the chest wall where the heartbeat is felt or heard most strongly, used to position the stethoscope for an apical pulse; typically the fifth intercostal space at the midclavicular line.

Worked examples4

1. You and a partner simultaneously count a patient's apical and radial pulses for 60 seconds. You count 88 apical beats; your partner counts 76 radial beats. What is the pulse deficit, and what should you do?
  1. Step 1 – Calculate the deficit: Subtract the radial rate from the apical rate. 88 − 76 = 12 beats per minute.
  2. Step 2 – Interpret the finding: A deficit of 12 beats per minute means 12 apical contractions per minute are not generating a palpable wave at the wrist. This is an abnormal finding.
  3. Step 3 – Document both values clearly on the flow sheet and in the EHR field, for example: 'Apical 88/min; Radial 76/min; Pulse deficit 12 bpm; rhythm irregular.'
  4. Step 4 – Report the finding to the supervising provider immediately; do not allow the patient to leave without provider awareness.
Answer: The pulse deficit is 12 beats per minute (88 apical − 76 radial). Document both rates and the deficit, and report to the provider.
2. A student counts a peer's respirations for 30 seconds and observes 8 rise-and-fall cycles. What is the rate per minute, and how is this classified?
  1. Step 1 – Calculate the per-minute rate: Multiply the 30-second count by 2. 8 × 2 = 16 breaths per minute.
  2. Step 2 – Compare to the normal adult range of 12–20 breaths per minute.
  3. Step 3 – Classify: 16 breaths per minute falls within the normal range, so this is classified as eupnea.
Answer: 16 breaths per minute; classified as eupnea (normal rate).
3. You take a patient's oral temperature and obtain 100.4°F. The instructor's measurement of the same patient (taken within seconds using the same route) is 100.1°F. Does your reading pass the lab competency tolerance?
  1. Step 1 – Identify the allowed tolerance: The competency requires your reading to be within ±0.2°F of the instructor's reading.
  2. Step 2 – Calculate the difference: |100.4 − 100.1| = 0.3°F.
  3. Step 3 – Compare to tolerance: 0.3°F exceeds the ±0.2°F limit.
Answer: No, 0.3°F exceeds the ±0.2°F tolerance. The reading does not pass; you would need to repeat the measurement using correct technique.
4. You count a patient's radial pulse for 60 seconds and tally 23 beats in the first 15 seconds. Extrapolating, what rate would a 15-second count × 4 give you, and why is a full 60-second count preferred for this patient?
  1. Step 1 – Extrapolate: 23 beats × 4 = 92 beats per minute.
  2. Step 2 – Recognize the limitation: A 15-second interval introduces more proportional error than a 60-second count. If the rhythm is even slightly irregular, a short interval may not capture the true average rate.
  3. Step 3 – Apply best practice: For an initial assessment or any suspected irregularity, count for a full 60 seconds to obtain the most accurate rate and to assess rhythm regularity throughout the minute.
Answer: The extrapolated rate is 92 beats per minute, but the full 60-second count is preferred because it detects rhythm irregularities and reduces proportional counting error.

The math in this lesson1

Learners subtract a 76/min radial rate from an 88/min apical rate to record a 12 bpm pulse deficit.
6.RP.3
In class: Measure oral temperature on five classmates using a digital thermometer, record results, then repeat using axillary and tympanic routes; compare readings across routes and discuss physiological reasons for differences. · Count 60-second radial and apical pulse rates simultaneously with a partner using a watch with a second hand and a stethoscope, noting rhythm regularity, and calculate a pulse deficit where applicable. · Observe respiration rate covertly on a peer for one full minute, classify the pattern (eupnea, tachypnea, bradypnea), and enter all three vital-sign sets into a simulated EHR training module.
Materials: Digital oral thermometers with probe covers, tympanic thermometers, stethoscopes, watches with second hands, paper vital-sign flow sheets, EHR training module (simulated), normal adult and pediatric vital-sign reference card
Check: Instructor observes each student obtaining one temperature, one radial pulse, and one respiration; temperature must be within ±0.2°F of instructor measurement, pulse within ±4 beats/min, respiration within ±2 breaths/min; plus correct EHR entry; pass = all three within tolerance with correct documentation.

Practice check8

Answer each question, then check it. Nothing is recorded; this is your own practice.

Clinical Medical Assisting — Vital Signs
1. When measuring an oral temperature, which of the following patient conditions is a contraindication to this route?
Clinical Medical Assisting — Vital Signs
2. A medical assistant places a stethoscope to count an apical pulse. Which landmark is most correct for stethoscope placement?
Clinical Medical Assisting — Vital Signs
3. A patient's simultaneous apical pulse is 96 beats per minute and radial pulse is 84 beats per minute. What is the pulse deficit?
Clinical Medical Assisting — Vital Signs
4. An adult patient at rest has a respiratory rate of 24 breaths per minute. How is this pattern correctly classified?
Infection Control / Clinical Medical Assisting
5. Which action best prevents cross-contamination when obtaining serial oral temperatures on multiple patients?
Clinical Medical Assisting — Vital Signs
6. Why should a medical assistant use the index and middle fingers — not the thumb — when palpating the radial pulse?
Clinical Medical Assisting — Patient Care / Scope of Practice
7. A tympanic temperature reads 97.2°F in a patient who appears flushed and warm to the touch. What is the most appropriate immediate action for a medical assistant?
Clinical Medical Assisting — Vital Signs
8. When counting respirations, the recommended technique is to observe the patient immediately after measuring the pulse while still holding the wrist. What is the primary reason for this approach?
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