Exam by body system

How to examine the nerves of the arm

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

MD / DOPA
Practice it in VR with Blocky

Upper limb neuro exam: look, tone, power, reflexes, sensation, coordination.

Step by step

  1. Look

    Wasting, twitching, tremor. [1]

  2. Tone

    Move the wrist and elbow passively. [1]

  3. Power

    Shoulder abduction (C5), elbow flexion (C5-6), extension (C7), finger extension (C7), grip (C8), finger spread (T1). Grade 0 to 5. [1]

  4. Reflexes

    Biceps, brachioradialis, triceps. [1]

  5. Sensation

    Light touch and pinprick by dermatome; vibration and position at the fingers. [1]

  6. Coordination

    Finger to nose, rapid alternating movements. [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

34 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. NCCPA PANCE Content Blueprint
  3. Stanford Medicine 25 (bedside exam)

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.