Exam by body system

How to assess dehydration in a child

Other platforms explain it with text and video. In VMS you practice it on the patient.

MD / DOPANursing (NCLEX)
Practice it in VR with Blocky

Children dehydrate fast. Combine several signs to judge how much.

Step by step

  1. History

    Vomiting, diarrhea, intake, wet diapers in the last 24 hours. [1]

  2. Appearance

    Alert, irritable or lethargic. [1]

  3. Eyes and mouth

    Sunken eyes, no tears, dry mouth. [1]

  4. Skin and refill

    Capillary refill longer than 2 seconds, skin pinch slow. [1]

  5. Vital signs

    Fast heart rate, deep breathing. [1]

  6. Weight

    Compare with a recent weight if known. [1]

  7. Plan

    Oral rehydration for mild to moderate; urgent IV for severe. [1]

Common errors

Practice it in VMS

In VMS you do this on the patient, not on paper: every step goes on the checklist with a score, and in Teach mode Blocky tells you what comes next.

VMS cases that train this skill

8 VMS cases train this skill: open the case library

Sources

  1. OpenStax, Clinical Nursing Skills (CC BY 4.0)
  2. NCCPA PANCE Content Blueprint
  3. Stanford Medicine 25 (bedside exam)
  4. Open RN, Nursing Skills 2e (Chippewa Valley Technical College) (CC BY 4.0)

Steps adapted from Open RN, Nursing Skills 2e (Chippewa Valley Technical College), licensed under CC BY 4.0. Facts and steps also follow NCCPA PANCE Content Blueprint; Stanford Medicine 25 (bedside exam). VMS is not affiliated with these organizations. Updated: 2026-10-11.