APGAR is on the NCLEX and it is what maternity nurses use to assess a newborn body. Most of our nursing students come to us confused on how to use it. Someone came up with a clever acronym to remember the 5 things you need to assess. It’s super easy to remember!
A stands for Appearance
- 0 = all blue
- 1 = hands or feet blue
- 2 = all pink/normal color
P stands for Pulse
- 0 = absent/no pulse
- 1 = <100 beats/miin
- 2 = >100 beats/min
G stands for Grimace
- 0 = absent/no cry or grimace
- 1 = grimaces with suction or slap on soles of feet
- 2 = active cry
A stands for Activity
- 0 = flaccid or limp muscle tone
- 1 = minimal flexion of muscles
- 2 = good flexion/active movement
R stands for Respirations
- 0 = absent/no respirations
- 1 = slow and weak respirations
- 2 = vigorous cry (30-60 breaths/min)
There are 5 categories and each category can get a 0, 1 or 2. The minimum score is 0 (terrible!) and the best score is 10 (best!). This assessing/scoring is done when the baby is born at about 1 minute old and at about 5 minutes old.
Here at The NCLEX Tutor, our goal is for you to learn the content the easiest way possible so that you actually understand it and remember it. Then you’ll do better on your nursing tests and the NCLEX.
If this was helpful, check out my NCLEX Nursing Nuggets Book! It also includes lots of pics and easier ways to remember and understand content.
