In my nursing program you are required to take a basic skills lab. I'm not in the lab right now, but what others have told me about it causes me to be very concerned. Apparently when the students get in the lab they are given a handout of skills they need to perform, and a brief list of steps on how to do the skill, and then are told to do the skill in small groups. If they have any questions, they can ask the instructor for assistance. Sounds ok? Here's the problem, the instructor is not demonstrating the "correct" way to do the skill, nor doing any teaching on the skill unless someone asks a question, and then it is only in the small group. One of the students requested that the instructor spend the first 20 or 30 minutes of the class time demonstrating the skills for everyone, since a lot of these students have no medical background at all. (There are a few CNAs in the class who are teaching those in their groups.) The instructor refused, stating that she didn't have enough time to demonstrate the skills!!!
Is it me, or does it seem a little crazy to expect students to be able to do the skill without seeing it demonstrated properly first??? It scares me to think that I would be expected to do a skill without having a clue how it is supposed to be done! And for the skills test, a bunch of skills are listed on slips of paper that are drawn from a hat, and you do the skill that you draw, and aren't tested on any of the others!! So if you can do that skill great, you pass. That's fine, but what about the other skills?? How will you know if you are doing it right if the instructor doesn't observe you??
Sorry this is long, but the whole thought of this makes me very uncomfortable. How can I learn anything if the instructor is refusing to teach???
I highly doubt the students are expected to learn skills without demos. I think you were given some bad information.
Demos? sorry, no demos at my school either. You read it, you watch a video on it, and then practice with your fellow students and there is NO DEMO, NO INSTRUCTOR who doesn't have 50 other students asking questions all at once. They do not FUND the instructors for this, they are FUNDED for actual clinicals in the facilities, not on campus in skills lab. That way they don't have to pay instructors for extra hours doing things like "demos".
After you practice on your own, you pass a skills check. Then comes the hard part... you must perform perfectly on a random practical which includes not breaking sterile fields etc. or you fail out of the class. The skill is chosen from a hat, and you must perform two separate skilLs perfectly or fail out. ie 1 skill = foley on a male in isolation -- another skill = vse bandage change, wet to dry also isolation... bed brakes, rails and bed height both while working and when leaving room, double gloving, right gloves for each step and hand washing at right step. Forget to get the right bandage or drop a bandage and not have extras = fail. Some failed out, myself I had 20 minutes left of the day and finally by some miracle passed.
DEMO?? The demo was watching 5 confused students gathered around a dummy with a foley kit and an open book after watching a video.
On the bright side, when we got to clinicals we were complimented on our excellent skills.
emily_mom
1,024 Posts
We had the same situation. We were required to watch a video and then perform the procedure for checkoff. Crazy, man.