Electrolyte Abnormalities
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55% of NURSING.com users are visual learners, and 35% stop using their textbooks altogether.
Fluids and electrolytes . . . .
Ok, before you have a panic attack, let me just say that I used to be so confused by everything about F&E. While in nursing school I finally read several books focused entirely on the subject, I then read the ICU book, AACN journals, and completed multiple self study sessions on the topic . . .
What can I say? I knew I had a weakness!
Nowadays I feel much more comfortable looking at lab values and determining what is going on with the patient. Or, vice versa, looking at a patient and determining what their lab values will look like.
A large portion of this is due simply to understanding what the different electrolytes do in the body. Once you feel comfortable with that . . . you’ll know exactly what to expect with elevated or decreased levels.
This takes time! You don’t have to know everything . . . ever . . . but if this is something you are struggling with, this cheatsheet will help.
