Bedside procedures

How to care for a cast

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

Nursing (NCLEX)
Practice it in VR with Blocky

Most cast problems are prevented by elevation and early reporting.

Step by step

  1. Elevate

    Above the heart for the first 24 to 48 hours. [1]

  2. Ice

    Over the cast in a bag, 20 minutes at a time. [1]

  3. Check circulation

    Color, warmth, movement, sensation of fingers or toes. [1]

  4. Keep dry

    Cover when bathing; nothing inside the cast to scratch. [1]

  5. Warning signs

    Increasing pain, numbness, tightness, foul smell, drainage, fever. [1]

  6. Teach

    Use teach-back. [2]

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

12 VMS cases train this skill: open the case library

Sources

  1. Open RN, Nursing Skills 2e (Chippewa Valley Technical College) (CC BY 4.0)
  2. AHRQ Health Literacy Universal Precautions Toolkit (Teach-Back)
  3. OpenStax, Clinical Nursing Skills (CC BY 4.0)

Steps adapted from Open RN, Nursing Skills 2e (Chippewa Valley Technical College) and OpenStax, Clinical Nursing Skills, licensed under CC BY 4.0. VMS is not affiliated with these organizations. Updated: 2026-10-11.