Medical Assistant how-to
How to Take a Manual Blood Pressure Reading
Manual blood pressure is a core medical assistant skill and a common competency check during externships.
Manual blood pressure is a core medical assistant skill and a common competency check during externships. In short: seat; choose; find, then complete the remaining steps below.
Step by step
Seat the patient with back supported, feet flat and arm resting at heart level for at least five minutes. Ask about caffeine, exercise or smoking in the last 30 minutes.
Choose the correct cuff size: the bladder should circle about 80% of the upper arm.
Find the brachial artery and wrap the cuff snugly about one inch above the bend of the elbow, with the artery marker lined up.
Place the stethoscope diaphragm over the brachial artery and inflate to about 20–30 mmHg above the point where the radial pulse disappears.
Deflate slowly, about 2–3 mmHg per second. The first clear tapping sound is the systolic pressure.
Keep deflating. The point where the sounds disappear is the diastolic pressure.
Deflate completely, remove the cuff and record the reading, arm and position, for example, 118/76, left arm, sitting.
Safety reminders for medical assistants
- Follow standard precautions and perform hand hygiene before and after every patient contact
- Never recap needles: use safety devices and sharps containers at the point of use
- Follow OSHA’s Bloodborne Pathogens Standard and accept the hepatitis B vaccination your employer offers
- Verify patient identity and the provider’s order before every procedure or medication
Key terms
Vital signs · Chief complaint (CC) · EHR · HIPAA · Rooming · Intramuscular (IM) injection: see the full medical assistant glossary.