Common Lab Values You Need To Know - Nursing Review (Video)

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Welcome to this video tutorial on lab values!

Understanding Diagnostic Lab Tests

Diagnostic lab tests help determine a patient’s condition, therefore it is important for nurses to be knowledgeable about the different tests and their values in order to make informed clinical decisions. We’re going to look at some common lab values that every nurse needs to be familiar with. Be aware that the normal values, or reference ranges, I’ve listed are just a guide, as the ranges vary from one lab to another.

Complete Blood Count (CBC)

A complete blood count (CBC) gives an overview of a patient’s general health status by providing information about the cells in a patient’s blood. It includes red blood cells (RBC), white blood cells (WBC), platelets, hemoglobin (Hgb), and hematocrit (Hct).

The normal range of RBCs for males is 4.5-5.5 million/μL, the range for females is 4.0-4.9.

WBCs should range between 4-10.5 thousand/μL.

Platelets range from 140-400 thousand/μL.

The normal range for hemoglobin is 13-17 g/dL for males and 12-15 g/dL for females.

Hematocrit is the ratio of the volume of RBCs to the total volume of blood. In males, it ranges from 41%-50% and females range from 36%-44%.

Glycosylated Hemoglobin for Diabetes

Another common hematology test is the glycosylated hemoglobin (HgbA1C), which measures the average level of blood glucose over the previous 3 months. It is used to screen for and diagnose

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