Join Carrington College Medical Assisting program [1] students Kenya and Angelica as they show you everything you need to know about testing a patient’s blood sugar levels. Kenya is administering the test, while Angelica is our patient.
So what equipment do you need?
“You need a glucose meter, a lancet [pricking needle], Band-Aids®, cotton balls, alcohol prep pads and testing strips,” explained student Kenya.
So how do you set up the glucose meter?
“You just have to turn it on and make sure that a testing strip is in place and ready to go,” Kenya explained.
Then what do you do next?
“You have to make sure you grab the patient’s non-dominant hand, and clean a finger [with the alcohol prep pads] so that it’s sterilized. I have to make sure it’s dry to ensure that the alcohol does not affect our results,” added Kenya. You then administer the lancet on the finger you cleaned; wipe away the first drop of blood with a cotton ball to keep the alcohol out of the reading, then collect a drop of blood on the test strip in the glucose meter. “It takes anywhere between 15 and 30 seconds to give a reading,” Kenya added.
Why is it important to test your blood sugar levels?
“It’s important because if your blood sugar levels are too high, it could potentially lead to diabetes,” said Kenya. “Angelica’s level is actually 119,” she added.
So what’s a good range for blood sugar levels?
“It just depends on your diet; it could be anywhere between 60 to 120,” said Kenya.
How does exercise impact blood sugar levels?
“Well when you exercise your muscles break down the glucose [in the blood], so the more you work out, the lower your glucose level will be,” she explained.
And I’m guessing the more sugar you eat, the higher your blood sugar levels will be?
“Yeah, and that’s not healthy,” added Kenya. So eat healthy and make sure you exercise, because both things are going to help your blood sugar! If you’d like to learn more about the Medical Assisting program[2] at Carrington College, click here.
[1] For comprehensive consumer information, visit https://carrington.edu/degrees/medical-assisting/ [2] Program availability varies by location
