Nursing Charts, School Education

Quick Answer: Nursing Charts are wall charts on the basic skills of patient care, typically illustrating measurement of vital signs, patient positions, bed making, bandaging and hand hygiene, for nursing, home nursing and health science classes. They are used alongside practical demonstration.

Fundamentals of Patient Care, Step by Step

Where the medical (nursing) series explains the body, general nursing charts usually show what the carer does. Vital-sign sheets show where to feel the radial pulse at the wrist, how to count breaths without the patient noticing, and how temperature and blood pressure are recorded on an observation chart. Position diagrams name the postures used in care, such as supine, prone, lateral, Fowler’s and the recovery position.

Procedure panels suit skills that follow a fixed order. Bed-making sheets show an unoccupied and an occupied bed, with mitred corners; bandaging sheets show roller bandage turns such as the spiral and the figure-of-eight and a triangular sling for the arm; and hand-hygiene sheets break washing into its numbered steps.

Wall charts support, but do not replace, supervised practice on a skills-lab mannequin or with a partner.

Applications

• Demonstration classes in ANM, GNM and other nursing courses
• Home nursing and first aid courses in schools and colleges
• Revision of procedure steps before practical examinations
• Hand-hygiene reminders at clinic and skills-lab sinks

Specifications

Care & Handling

• Mount the hand-hygiene sheet beside the practice sink, inside a sleeve that tolerates splashes.
• Keep procedure charts in line with the institution’s current protocols, and replace a sheet if the taught steps change.
• Hang position and bandaging sheets in the demonstration area so students can follow them while they practise.

Why Choose LabEquip

Nursing and health science teachers usually combine these procedure charts with anatomy sheets such as the Medical (Nursing) Charts-I, and schools running first-aid training often add the First Aid Charts. Orders go through the LabEquip contact page.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the vital signs?

Temperature, pulse, respiration and blood pressure. Many institutions also record oxygen saturation and pain. Changes in these readings are often the first sign that a patient’s condition is changing.

How is the radial pulse taken?

Place two fingers, not the thumb, on the thumb side of the inner wrist and count the beats for a full minute, or for 30 seconds and double it if the rhythm is regular. Note the rate, rhythm and strength.

What is Fowler’s position?

The patient sits up in bed with the head of the bed raised, commonly to 45 to 60 degrees, with the knees slightly bent or supported. It eases breathing and is used for meals and for patients who are short of breath.

Why is the recovery position used?

It keeps the airway open in an unconscious person who is breathing, by turning them on their side with the head tilted back so the tongue does not block the throat and any vomit can drain out.

What is a figure-of-eight bandage used for?

It holds a dressing or supports a joint such as the elbow, knee or ankle. The bandage crosses over itself in the shape of an eight, which lets the joint bend slightly while the bandage stays in place.

How do general nursing charts differ from the medical (nursing) series?

The medical (nursing) series focuses on anatomy and physiology. General nursing charts show the practical procedures of patient care, so institutes often display both in the skills lab.

Last Updated: September 2026