The ROPE method will get you in trouble at the wound station during the CPNE!

[NC Girl BSN]

whatever you do, do not and i repeat do not use the rope method at the cpne to pack your wound. ec no longer accepts that method and you will fail that lab for trying to use it. they say that the end is to tight. i would suggest the parachute method. a girl at the cpne failed the wound station on friday using the rope method. civita the ca told her that it was not an acceptable method. luckly i was able to show her how to do the parachute method and she passed the following night. but if we had never met over small talk, she would have failed the cpne.take my message for what its worth but you be you will be thankful when you are at the wound station on friday night during your cpne and you pass with flying colors. lynn is still teaching this technique at her workshop and ec frowns on this method. just be careful.

[dsd2sis]

Thanks for the tips I'll keep that in mind!! Wish me luck.

[formyfly]

Lynn says that what she is teaching is NOT the rope method; the rope method is actually a tight twist of the entire length of the gauze. I recall faculty (and it was Civita, who posted it back in April -- I could probably dig up the post) on the EPN posting that a slight twist to the end was fine. I think that person would have had grounds for an appeal, had she not passed with the parachute method. Personally, I couldn't do the parachute method -- I just couldn't keep the gauze under control. I used a wacky sort of a modified fan-fold method.

This sounds like the method Amy at the EC suggested to me, kind of make the guaze fold into your hand like candy ribbon does. She mentioned folding the end small so the fringed edge doesn't mess you up and then begin to pack. I guess I will find out Friday if it is acceptable. Wish me luck!

[formyfly]

I found that the gauze I had with the skills kit and another boat of gauze I bought were either much bigger or my skills bag wound was smaller than the ones we used at Racine. I was so freaked out about this wound because I couldn't seem to fit all the gauze in at home in practice. However, at the actual lab station it was a breeze. I would take the gauze, unfold it almost all the way, fanfold it in my nondominant hand, and fluff and fanfold or smush it in. It was a piece of cake. The CE sat at the side of me doing my thing and at the end stood up and removed half of the dressing to make sure the gauze was in. However, she actually grabbed a part of the gauze when she removed the dressing, so a part of it winged out onto the skin. She passed me on it. :)

A question off the subject, did they have a peds unit in Racine when you tested. I get mixed answers from others. Thanks!

[Baloney Amputation, BSN, LPN, RN]

A question off the subject, did they have a peds unit in Racine when you tested. I get mixed answers from others. Thanks!

Yes. My peds PCS patient was a 5-week-old little baby. I know another student with me had a 14-year-old patient. I'm not sure on the others I tested with. There were definitely peds patients at Racine, but I think the kicker is that they have to be appropriate patients for the PCS standards.

[formyfly]

Yes. My peds PCS patient was a 5-week-old little baby. I know another student with me had a 14-year-old patient. I'm not sure on the others I tested with. There were definitely peds patients at Racine, but I think the kicker is that they have to be appropriate patients for the PCS standards.

Thanks, I just wanted to know what to expect this weekend! Thanks.

[doulasrock]

Hi friends,

I just set up my lab and "hospital room" in my house and I started to practice at the wound station. I have 2 questions for you:

1. Is it acceptable if we say "now I am washing my hands" every time that we would do this in real life??? I know we are not expected to wash hands during the sim lab but I rather learn everything the way it would be in the patient's room.

2. When using the parachute method, you have to use both hands to accomodate the gauze in the wound properly.... in this case both hands get contaminated, aren't you supposed to keep one hand sterile so you can then grab the 4X4 and the abdominal pad???

Thanks for your help,

Vanessa

[Baloney Amputation, BSN, LPN, RN]

Unless it has changed, EC recommends that you only wash before and after a wound dressing change and not in between going from clean to sterile technique. You can verbalize that you would wash your hands in the sim lab, but don't verbalize this where EC specifically says not to do so in real practice. (Even when I was assigned a sterile dressing change for a AOC, this still held true.)

If you contaminate your hands, you have to don sterile gloves again. You shouldn't be touching the wound bed, but I recall seeing on the EPN where that wouldn't be a failure, either. (Touching the surrounding skin, however, is a no-no.) I would imagine you would need one uncontaminated hand for the 4 x 4 and ABD.

[NC Girl BSN]

You can use both hands. Its almost impossible not to. As long as you don't touch the outside of the wound then your hands are not considered contaiminated.

[jmelam]

has anyone ever appealed a failed cpne

[Baloney Amputation, BSN, LPN, RN]

has anyone ever appealed a failed cpne

What happened? I thought about appealing and had my appeal ready to mail, but decided against it in the end.

[JenniferGNettles]

Thanks for the tip!