Medical Assistant Patient's Patient Doctor Pressure Arm Blood

When Americans "see" (have an appointment with) their doctor, the "medical assistant" (the person whose job is to help the doctor) usually takes several standard or normal "measurements" (attempts to see how big, small, fast, slow, hot, or cold something is), no matter what the patient is being seen for.

The first measurement is usually the patient's weight. The medical assistant asks the patient to take off his or her shoes and "step onto" (begin to stand on) the "scale" (a piece of equipment that measures how heavy something is). The medical assistant "records" (writes down) the patient's weight for the doctor to review.

Then, the medical assistant may take the patient into the "exam room" (a small, private room where the doctor examines the patient) and measures his or her "blood pressure" (how much pressure is placed against the veins as the heart beats). The medical assistant puts a "blood pressure cuff" (a piece of fabric that folds around the arm and is used to measure blood pressure) around the patient's upper arm while touching the patient's "wrist" (the part of the arm immediately above the hand) to feel the "pulse" (the rhythmic pushing of blood through veins). The medical assistant records the patient's blood pressure and "pulse rate" (how many times the heart beats each minute). The medical assistant might also use a "thermometer" to "take the patient's temperature" (find out how hot or cold someone is).

Then, the medical assistant leaves and the patient waits for the doctor to enter the exam room to begin his or her medical exam.