SELF/Perioperative Nursing/Vital Signs Monitoring/Psychomotor Skills Practice Assessment

Vital Signs Monitoring – Assessment Rubric – Perioperative Nursing (ECSACONM)

Overview

This page provides a psychomotor assessment rubric for vital signs monitoring, developed for perioperative nursing training under ECSACONM (East, Central and Southern Africa College of Nursing). It is the assessment companion to the Vital Signs Monitoring psychomotor skills practice worksheet, used to score learner performance across the sequential steps of measuring temperature, pulse, respiratory rate, blood pressure, and oxygen saturation.

Each step is scored on a five-point scale. Articulated (spoken, non-observed) steps are marked as either "Not done" or "Done." Observed steps are anchored at three levels: 1 – Clinically Unacceptable, 3 – Clinically Acceptable, and 5 – Excellent, with levels 2 and 4 available for intermediate performance. A Comments column is provided for assessor notes.

Purpose

To provide a consistent, criterion-referenced tool for assessing a learner's ability to measure, interpret, and document vital signs safely and accurately, ensuring correct technique, appropriate use of equipment, and recognition of clinically significant findings.

Psychomotor Assessment Rubric

#	Step Name	Assessment Method	1 – Clinically Unacceptable / Not Performed	3 – Clinically Acceptable / Performed	5 – Excellent
1	Gather supplies	Articulated	Not done		Done
2	Confirm patient identity, explain procedure, and obtain consent	Articulated	Not done		Done
3	Assess and prepare the patient environment	Articulated	Not done		Done
4	Measure temperature	Observed	Incorrect site selection, poor thermometer placement, inaccurate reading technique, or failure to document appropriately.	Obtains an accurate temperature using appropriate technique and equipment.	Efficiently obtains a reliable reading, selects the optimal site, recognizes factors affecting accuracy, and documents completely.
5	Measure pulse	Observed	Inaccurate pulse location, incorrect counting technique, or failure to recognize significant abnormalities.	Measures pulse accurately and assesses rate, rhythm, and strength appropriately.	Demonstrates excellent technique, accurately characterizes pulse quality, and promptly recognizes clinically significant abnormalities.
6	Measure respiratory rate	Observed	Estimates rather than counts, alerts patient causing altered breathing, or fails to identify abnormal respiratory effort.	Accurately measures respiratory rate and observes breathing pattern and effort.	Obtains a highly accurate assessment while discreetly evaluating rate, depth, rhythm, and work of breathing.
7	Measure blood pressure	Observed	Incorrect cuff size or placement, poor technique, inaccurate reading, or failure to recognize an implausible result.	Measures blood pressure accurately using appropriate equipment and technique.	Demonstrates excellent positioning, cuff selection, measurement technique, and validation of unexpected findings.
8	Measure oxygen saturation	Observed	Incorrect probe placement, failure to assess signal quality, or acceptance of inaccurate readings due to artifact. Not removing nail polish or other issues that may create artifact.		Demonstrates excellent troubleshooting, confirms signal quality, and accurately interprets limitations affecting the reading.
9	Monitor additional parameters if indicated	Articulated	Not done		Done
10	Document and report findings	Articulated	Not done		Done

References

Page data
Keywords	surgery, health
SDG	SDG03 Good health and well-being
Authors	Ian-laurel
License	CC-BY-SA-4.0
Organizations	SELF, ECSACONM
Language	English (en)
Related	0 subpages, 1 pages link here
Views	2 page views (analytics)
Created	July 29, 2026 by Ian-laurel-1
Last edit	July 29, 2026 by StandardWikitext bot
Cite as	Ian-laurel-1 (2026). "SELF/Perioperative Nursing/Vital Signs Monitoring/Psychomotor Skills Practice Assessment". Appropedia. Retrieved July 30, 2026.
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