Vital Signs in Nursing: Normal Values by Age | NPrep

Vital signs in nursing are temperature, pulse, respiration and blood pressure, with oxygen saturation and pain often added. In an adult at rest, normal values are about 36.5 to 37.5°C, a pulse of 60 to 100 a minute, 12 to 20 breaths a minute, blood pressure below 120/80 mmHg and SpO2 of 95% or more.

Updated 13 November 2026. Ranges follow standard Fundamentals of Nursing textbooks. Reference ranges vary slightly between textbooks and hospitals, so follow your institution's charts for real patients.

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Normal vital signs at a glance

Vital sign	Normal adult range at rest
Temperature (oral)	About 36.5 to 37.5°C
Pulse	60 to 100 beats a minute
Respiration	12 to 20 breaths a minute
Blood pressure	Below 120/80 mmHg
Oxygen saturation (SpO2)	95% or more
Pain	Assessed with a scale, such as 0 to 10

What are normal vital signs by age?

Age	Pulse (per minute)	Respiration (per minute)
Newborn	About 120 to 160	About 30 to 60
Infant	About 100 to 160	About 30 to 50
Child (school age)	About 70 to 110	About 18 to 30
Adult	60 to 100	12 to 20

Children have faster pulse and breathing rates, and lower blood pressure, than adults.

How is temperature measured?

Route	Note
Oral	Common in alert adults; avoid after hot or cold drinks
Axillary	Safe and simple; reads lower than oral
Rectal	Close to core temperature; used with care in children
Tympanic	Quick, in the ear
Temporal	Forehead scanner

A temperature of 38°C or above is usually called a fever (some charts use 37.5°C), and above about 40 to 41°C hyperpyrexia. Below 35°C is hypothermia.

How is pulse assessed?

Count for a full minute if the pulse is irregular, and note the rate, rhythm and volume. Common sites are the radial (wrist, the usual site), apical (over the heart, used in infants and before giving digoxin), carotid (in emergencies), brachial (in infants and for BP), femoral, popliteal, posterior tibial and dorsalis pedis.

• Tachycardia: above 100 a minute in adults.
• Bradycardia: below 60 a minute in adults.

How is blood pressure measured correctly?

• Seat the patient comfortably, arm supported at heart level, after a few minutes' rest.
• Use the right cuff size: a cuff that is too small reads falsely high, and one that is too large reads falsely low.
• Place the cuff about 2.5 cm above the elbow crease.
• Systolic pressure is the first Korotkoff sound; diastolic is when the sounds disappear.

How is respiration counted?

Count while the patient thinks you are still counting the pulse, so they do not change their breathing. Note the rate, depth and rhythm. Above 20 a minute in adults is tachypnoea, below 12 is bradypnoea, and no breathing is apnoea.

How are vital signs asked in exams?

This is an NPrep practice question, not a past-paper question.

What happens if a blood pressure cuff is too small for the patient's arm?

A. The reading will be falsely low B. The reading will be falsely high C. The reading will not change D. Only the diastolic pressure changes

Answer: B. A cuff that is too small needs more pressure to compress the artery, so it gives a falsely high reading.

For normal lab values, see Anatomy, Physiology, Microbiology for NORCET.

FAQs

What are the normal vital signs for an adult?

At rest: temperature about 36.5 to 37.5°C, pulse 60 to 100 a minute, respiration 12 to 20 a minute, blood pressure below 120/80 mmHg and SpO2 of 95% or more.

What is the normal pulse rate of a newborn?

About 120 to 160 beats a minute.

What is the normal respiratory rate of an adult?

12 to 20 breaths a minute at rest.

Which pulse is checked in an infant?

The apical pulse, over the heart, or the brachial pulse.

What happens if the BP cuff is too large?

It gives a falsely low reading. A cuff that is too small gives a falsely high one.

What to read next

• Up: Fundamentals of Nursing for NORCET
• Across: patient positions in nursing and Medical-Surgical Nursing for NORCET
• Practice: free NORCET mock test