Best Way to Learn Skills for Check off

[wishNhopeNdreamN]

I feel stupid for asking this but, what is the best way that you have found learning the steps for skills check offs?

I know Practice, Practice, Practice but, is there any other tips anyone has found to keep the skills straight and not slip right out of your head when you are performing them?

There are so many steps to each skill, I'm having a hard time keeping them straight.

And...how do you get rid of the being watched jitters?

TIA

[NursingIs4CoolPeople]

You got it, Practice, Practice Practice. Practice enough so it becomes basically second nature, and also sometimes I try to break those bigger longer skills into smaller tasks and make sure i did each task for return demos which helped somewhat. like step 1, do this step 2, do that but everyone learns differently. As for being watched, i'm sure almost everyone in your class feels that way, i know i did, and the important thing is to relax and know what you're doing .. Alot of my classmates verbalized what they were going to do step by step so the instructor didn't have to ask them questions on what they were doing.. but yeah, main thing is to do what you have to do for skills enough times to do it in front of your instructor..and anyone basically.. lol.

[Do-over, ASN, RN]

Aside from practice, practice, practice , I also write myself a "script" for each skill. So, a script for injections might start like --

- Validate order

- Wash hands

- Gather supplies

etc. etc.

[beth66335, BSN, RN]

For our skills final we had a script of things to do and say, so I taped the steps and verbalizations and listened to them over and over. I also got together in our skills lab (after hours) with up to 3 other students and preformed my skill while they critiqued me. We took turns doing the skill, it helped me to catch mistakes and also with the "being watched" thing.

[wishNhopeNdreamN]

Thanks for the suggestions, I'm going to try making a script and record it and listen to it over and over. We only have lab 1 day a week and I'm finding it hard to get enough hands on practice. So I think listening to it over and over will help cement it into my brain.

[rotteluvr31, ADN, RN]

On some skills - once we opened a package, say for trach care or foley insertion - the package became ours. I took the package home to - as the mantra goes - practice practice practice. That way, even if I couldn't get into the lab after hours - I had the materials on hand and got used to manipulating them.