Exam by body system

How to do a postpartum assessment

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

After birth, check the same areas every time. The BUBBLE-HE order helps.

Step by step

  1. Vital signs

    Fever, fast pulse or low blood pressure can mean bleeding or infection. [1]

  2. Breasts

    Soft, filling, cracked nipples, redness. [1]

  3. Uterus

    Firm, at or below the navel; massage if soft. [1]

  4. Bladder and bowel

    Voiding, retention, bowel movements. [1]

  5. Lochia

    Color, amount, clots, smell. Soaking a pad in an hour is heavy. [1]

  6. Episiotomy or incision

    Redness, swelling, discharge, healing. [1]

  7. Legs and emotions

    Calf pain or swelling; mood, bonding, depression screen. [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

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.