The chest-piece of the stethoscope is made up of two components designed for auscultation: the bell and the diaphragm. The bell is dome-shaped and used for auscultation of low-pitched sounds, while the diaphragm is used to auscultate high-pitched sounds.

Normal adult blood pressure is anywhere from 90-120 mmHg systolic over 60-80 mmHg diastolic. 120-140 mmHg over 80-90 mmHg would be considered pre-hypertension, while anything over that would be considered either stage I or stage II hypertension.

Normal heart rate for a child aged 6-12 is 70-120 bpm. This is moderately higher than normal heart rate for an adult, which is 60-100 bpm.

The most appropriate location for assessing the pulse of an infant is the brachial artery, which travels from the axilla down the ventral surface of the upper arm to the cubital fossa. The popliteal and radial pulses are difficult to palpate on an infant due to their size, and the carotid artery can be difficult to palpate due to an infant's shorter, thicker neck.

Normal adult respiratory rate is 12-20 breaths per minute. A respiratory rate below 12 is defined as bradypnea, while a respiratory rate above 20 is considered tachypnea.

A normal respiratory rate in a child aged 1-6 years is 24-34 breaths per minute. This is significantly higher than an adult normal respiratory rate, which is 12-20 breaths per minute.

Stage II hypertension is defined as a blood pressure equal to or greater than 160 mmHg systolic over 100 mmHg diastolic, taken at three different times on at least two separate occasions. Stage I hypertension is systolic blood pressure of 140-160 mmHg or diastolic blood pressure of 90-100 mmHg, while prehypertension is defined as a systolic blood pressure of 120-140 mmHg or diastolic blood pressure of 80-90 mmHg.

Afebrile is a term used to describe a patient who does not have a fever. Clinically, a fever is defined as a temperature greater than 100.4 Fahrenheit. Blood pressure, heart rate, and respiratory rate do not tell you if the patient has a fever.

The following scale applies to the amplitude of a pulse when palpated at the radial artery:

3+ is an increased or bounding pulse

2+ is a normal pulse

1+ is a weak pulse

0 is an absent pulse

An overlarge blood pressure cuff will often result in a blood pressure reading that is artificially low. It is important that the nurse chooses the appropriate blood pressure cuff size for each individual patient.