Metabolic panel nursing labs explained in 45 seconds. As a nursing student or nurse, you'll want to be familiar with basic labs you'll encounter. A metabolic panel is a blood test that can be ordered as a BMP or CMP. BMP stands for basic metabolic panel, and CMP stands for comprehensive metabolic panel. A CMP will check everything a BMP does, but it also includes liver function tests. You can get a digital or physical copy of Nurse Sarah's fluid & electrolyte nursing school notes: Digita