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Vitals, Gut, Action: When to Escalate
06/28/2025
Vitals, Gut, Action: When to Escalate
Today, I want to talk about something that used to confuse me a lot when I was first starting out as a new nurse on the medical-surgical floor—and I know it’s something many of you struggle with as students or new grads. That big question: What is considered an emergency in clinical practice? Now, I’m going to share some clinical scenarios that you might come across and how to recognize when a situation requires quick evaluation and possibly immediate intervention. Because here’s the truth—when you’re a student or a new nurse, your number one goal is not to know everything—it’s to learn how to recognize when something is not right. I still remember my preceptor telling me that when something deviates from the norm—even if you can’t exactly put your finger on what’s wrong—you need to trust your instincts and ask for help. That mindset helped me build my confidence and my nursing intuition over time. And now, many years later, I can often tell when a patient is starting to deteriorate—even before the labs or the vitals tell the full story. And that’s exactly what I want for you. So today, we’re going to walk through some basic scenarios. I’ll give you some examples to think about so you can start sharpening your clinical eye. Ready? Let’s go!
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