First day of nursing school

lvnhopeful · Jul 19, 2007

I think this will be my last post here as the thread has done its job of informing some pre-nursing students what to expect.

We have had four exams and two pop quizes this week. Next week we will have six exams. Tomorrow we start into catheterization techniques and on Friday we will be inserting Foley's into dummies.

The build up of homework is a little scary. Try to stay on top of it and you should be fine. Your classmates can be your best friends.

Good luck to all, and if anyone else would like to add their experience to this thread, be my guest.

09RN · Jul 19, 2007

Allow me to point out something to all of you about clinical procedures as well as your general performance in nursing school that you probably didn't consider. I always tell nursing students that as well as studying and learning you also need to treat nursing school as if it were a job. The reason is this. Your instructors are going to be watching, observing and forming an opinion about you every day. When you go out into the world after you graduate and get your licenses, the only people that have any kind of knowledge of what your performance is likely to be like as nurses is going to be all those clinical instructors who were watching and observing you during your time in school. And, most employers know this and depend upon their opinion. Most potential employers will want at least one reference from a school instructor. In today's world, many school's, like most businesses, compile the evaluations made about each of you by the instructors into one document that they will release to prospective employers. Some of the things employers are looking for in an employee don't exactly coincide with what you think a good nurse should be at this point in your new career. While you might be interested in just learning the basic mechanics of being a nurse, an employer might be more interested in things like:
Initiative - Autonomy
Dynamism - Energy
Positive attitude
Responsibility
Orientation to the client and co-workers (ability to provide customer service)
Learning capacity
Productivity
Adaptability - Flexibility
Leadership
Team work
Tolerance to pressure
Analytic ability
Professional development
Attendance
So, think about how putting up an argument about demonstrating a clinical procedure is going to look to someone who holds the power and authority to make a decision about your actions. Will they judge you to be flexible? Eager to learn? A joy to get along with? Have a positive attitude? Or, be belligerent? Constantly wanting to break rules? Disruptive?
When it comes to performing procedures on each other keep in mind that nursing programs have been doing this for years. You have to ask yourself if they are causing you some kind of permanent physical harm. I've heard students put up tantrums about having to pair up and do bed baths on each other. There've been several threads on this. Patients get bed baths all the time and as I've been a nurse for 32 years I've never heard a patient put up a bigger fight NOT to get a bath than some students have. What better way to learn what a patient experiences so you can do a better job of it? (And, by the way, we only did arms, legs and trunk--no private parts) And, when we gave our IM injections to each other, an instructor was by our side the entire time and we were never left alone. We were given the choice to submit to the insertion of an NG tube, again with an instructor present. The insertion of a foley catheter is too invasive a procedure and carries the danger of the introduction of bacteria into a sterile area and causing a bladder infection and is not likely to be done except on a manikin. When we taught student doctors how to insert IVs they were climbing all over themselves volunteering to insert IVs into each other for the practice and experience. They got an "A" for the effort, but I have to say that like all new learners they were really bad at it for their first times.
I would keep in mind that your instructor is listening and paying attention to what you are saying and beginning to form an opinion about you when you are voicing your thoughts about not wanting to do some of these things. You never know who is repeating what you. Remember that you volunteered to be there to learn. What a shame to spend so much energy to get oneself through the process of getting into nursing school only to sabotage one's own success by displaying unacceptable behavior.

I just wanted to say what a GREAT post this is!!! I havent started school yet ( start Aug 20 ) but I have several friends who did this summer. I copied and pasted this post and emailed it to one of my friends because their classmates are having issues like this and I thought it was good for her to read and even pass around to her classmate!

Thanks for a GREAT post!

SoulShine75 · Jul 19, 2007

Congrats on getting into and completing your first day of LVN school. BUT, I must make an observation and ask a question...who on EARTH would volunteer to let someone put a catheter in them? I would NEVER allow any of my classmates do that to me....how embarassing. It's different if you're in the clinical setting and you're learning on a patient....but your classmates? Eww! You have to see those people everyday for a really long time. lol Shots, NG...not too bad, but a catheter? No way. Glad you're choosing to opt out of that one. And another thing...that is dangerous. I know I wouldn't want to get bacteria because of someone else's practice lessons. We practiced on dummies and did our skill at the hospital when the opportunity arose and we didn't have any problems. I think that's uneccessary.

Good luck in your studies and congrats again!

JohnBearPA · Jul 19, 2007

Congrats on getting into and completing your first day of LVN school. BUT, I must make an observation and ask a question...who on EARTH would volunteer to let someone put a catheter in them? I would NEVER allow any of my classmates do that to me....how embarassing. It's different if you're in the clinical setting and you're learning on a patient....but your classmates? Eww! You have to see those people everyday for a really long time. lol Shots, NG...not too bad, but a catheter? No way. Glad you're choosing to opt out of that one. And another thing...that is dangerous. I know I wouldn't want to get bacteria because of someone else's practice lessons. We practiced on dummies and did our skill at the hospital when the opportunity arose and we didn't have any problems. I think that's uneccessary.
Good luck in your studies and congrats again!

I can't believe instructors are still telling these poor scared students this tale. They told my Mom that when she went to school back in the 80's, and they told me that a few years ago when I went. We were told we would be doing injections on each other, starting IV's, drawing blood, inserting foleys, inserting NG's, bed baths, bedpans, etc. When I was in shool one student asked if we really had to do a full bed bath (naked) on fellow students, and was told yes, right before we wipe their butt on the bedpan.

End result, alot of worrying for nothing. We never did ANY invasive procedure on a fellow student, never saw another student's genitalia (except for a few people that dated each other, or at least fooled around with each other during school), or did anything on a fellow student that made either us or the other student feel uncomfortable.

All of us in our class passed state boards on either the first, or for two of them, second attempt, and all of us are still practicing nurses, and pretty damn good at it.

I can't imagine why instructors still tell students these tales. Nursing school is hard enough, why stress out students like this?

AggieD04 · Jul 19, 2007

Congrats on starting nursing school! I just graduated in May from mine. Reading this post has brought back a lot of memories. In my school we did not practice anything invasive on real people. My friends and I practiced IVs on each other on our own time, not in lab.

You will really get to know the people you are in school with. It really is weird when you start to do things like bed baths, or abdominal assessments, etc. But everyone there is with you, thinking/feeling probably the same things as you are. You are kind of on a roller coaster through hell right now. Sorry, its true. Nursing school is hard, paperwork, clinicals, no sleep, tests, check-offs, STRESS!!! etc. But you guys are in it together. You will get comfortable with your fellow classmates, and definitely start to get comfortable in what is normally considered someone's "personal" space. That is what its like in the hospital though. You will be right there in your patient's personal space. I guess its a good thing to remember what it feels like when you get to that point.

Best advice, get organized. Don't get behind, there is just too much to do to let anything pile up. Get to know the people you are in class with. You will be seeing them more than your best friends or family for the next couple of years. (Its really true!) Don't be afraid to ask, practice makes perfect! I just found this website today, I wish I would have found it two years ago! Good luck to everyone starting out! :jester:

JarOfPennies · Jul 19, 2007

End result, alot of worrying for nothing. We never did ANY invasive procedure on a fellow student, never saw another student's genitalia (except for a few people that dated each other, or at least fooled around with each other during school), or did anything on a fellow student that made either us or the other student feel uncomfortable.

Seriously! I was wondering what female student would volunteer for her fellow male classmate and vice versa!

lvnhopeful · Jul 20, 2007

Hello JarOfPennies. An earlier post suggested that the catherizations we will be doing are all on dummies, and that is correct. We start tomorrow with our own personal kits. We have had a lot of what are called skills tests where we are checked off after we complete the action to the teachers satisfaction. An example of a skills test would be how to put on and remove gloves in a sterile manner. How to make an empty bed, and an occupied bed, etc.

From what I gather, there are not many students who would have volunteered to be catherized in front of classmates. Not me, for one. But I really do believe that Daytonite is right when she said that they are watching us and forming opinions as to our character and how we react to different tasks they set for us.

Yesterday the teachers left, but before they did, our head instructor told us to reconfigure our desks into the shape of a chevron. When you have 60 students interpret a simple task like that, its becomes a circus. Fortunately we resolved the problem before they got back, but no one is happy with the new configuration. We waited to see what in instructor would say, but there was no acknowledgement that there was a change in the room. We all guessed the task was to see if we could work together as a team.

Only 230 more class days until graduation:balloons:

allthingsbright · Jul 20, 2007

I am writing this for those of us that fret about the unknown.
Today was my first day of LVN nursing school. Our school has a rule that anyone even one second late does not get into the classroom, so a lot of us were very early. I was 40 minutes early and there were five other students ahead of me. A couple of students came in a little late, but I think they were docked.
The classroom was open so we came in and picked our seats. The woman next to me told me she hardly slept at all the night before, and that remark was reiterated by everyone close by. She said she had a dream that she was in a hospital with a disease that no one knew about. She attributed it to a fear of failure to become a nurse.
At the proper time we were introduced to our five teachers and their subjects. Then the head teacher passed out paperwork for us to fill out, (I have never filled out so much paperwork as for LVN school). Then the student handbook was passed out and the whole class (60 of us) took turns reading about the rules, regulations and school Mission Statement. It was made clear to us that the school set high standards and expected nothing but the best from its students.
We were then informed that we would be giving each other bed baths, NG tubes, and foley catheters, in addition to shots. I know I will not be involved in having a foley or a NG tube, but the rest I can live with. If students don't want to commit to a certain proceedure, its not mandatory, however, the students that volunteer for those activities will be the first to do them in clinicals.
The syllabus was not available so we were given our first assignments by our respective teachers. This program is seven hours a day, five days a week. We were told that for every hour of class time we were to have three hours of homework. That equals a 28 hour day not counting everything else besides school. They say we will have time to catch up on weekends. I guess that means I won't be posting as often as I have been lately, lol.
Uniforms were passed out, but we won't be using them for the first eight weeks. Thats when we start our clinical rotations. We were told that we would be working some evenings and some weekends. Oh well, I don't have a life anyway:o
I hope this helps some of you who are wondering what the first day is like. It must vary from school to school. Tonight I will try to catch up on the sleep I didn't get last night because I was sooo nervous about the first day of school. Well, at least I will try to catch up after I do some homework.
Good luck to you all.

I graduate in Dec from an RN program and let me tell ya, there is NO WAY any of my fellow students are putting a foley or dropping an NG on me! LOL! I lhave et them inject me, start IV's on me, put leads on me for EKG's, stick me for labs, etc etc but come on, the NG and foley thing is just silly. I think it causes undue stress--and I know a couple of my instructors would agree w/ me as we have talked about this! Nursing students have enough already w/out all that. Yours is the 1st program that I have heard about doing NG's and Foleys on each other--I bet you sign a nice fat waiver beforehand! Take care!

justrissy · Jul 20, 2007

I too graduate in Dec and we aren't even allowed to do blood draws on each other! We did abdominal exams, eye exams, vitals, ear exams, neuros, mini mental, SQ's, (we were the last class to be able to do SQ's) we had an EMT student come in a let us do EKG's on him (no guys in my class), everything else was done on dummies the instructors just like to scare you. After nearly 2 years together we classmates have come to know each other very well! Most I'd trust to be mine or my family's nurse, but there are others I don't think I'd let near me!

FNPhopeful · Jul 20, 2007

To all those just starting, all I can say is get used to a whole new way of life !

I sometimes had to pinch myself because I just felt like I was in a fog drifting through this alternate dimension called nursing school. Its like your not civilians anymore....

Everyday something new is introduced to you and everyday you are intimidated by someone or something. I remember showing up for skills tests every week and being terrified about doing the return demonstrations ( I hate being put on the spot or any public speaking type stuff).

The funny thing is though is everyone is just as scared as you if not more. I cant tell you how many times we all sat around talking about how bad we were shaking and how many times we were gonna throw up (from nervousness). But ya know what ? eventually you finish that semester and now its a distant memory.

Stay on top of your lecture classes- I saw people flunk out, from what I percieved to be poor study skills. The most helpful thing for me was to study things from every angle- if you are studying electrolyte imbalances read all about it on the internet as well, study lab values from actual patients, make sure you really "get" it dont just memorize it becuase nursing school is alll critical thinking. Tests are gonna want to know why that patients electrolytes are out of wack and what you should do next.

Also take snacks and lunches with you to school/clinical. Make sure you are well nourished. I swear I was on the brink of exhaustion last year just becuase the stress was causing me not to eat. Also I highly recommended getting into some kind of exercise program wether it be a class at your gym or a jog every morning before classes. But throw something physical into your weekly routine- because your mind is gonna become strained and there's going to be loooong clinical days of standing around- you need to be in good physical shape for the sake of your mind, body, and spirit.

Im not saying become a star athlete but make sure your getting frustrations out with some exercise, you'll need a release. Im going to widdle in an aerobics class this semester 4 days a week right after my lecture classes.

Remember its only 2 years (3 for some) of your life, you can get through it. Those without kids may have an easier time. Take care of yourself so you can be your best, there'll be alot of exams and teachers to impress. (But that's another story)

lvnhopeful · Jul 24, 2007

On urethral catherization.........

In the third week and most of the class has done their catherization. No one was catherized and it was actually easy. All you have to do is be aware of the sterile fields. Keep your hands from touching anything you have outside the fields and remember the sequence of events.

Most of the class was really stressed out about doing their first, (including me), but it is not bad at all. Now, when it comes to real life and you have someone who does not want to cooperate, that will be different.......

People are really starting to relax and get to know their neighbors now, the atmosphere is friendly and some of the students are tutoring others. We have developed our own little community.

JarOfPennies · Jul 25, 2007

Lvnhopeful, it's pretty cool how you went from being so scared 2 weeks ago to kind of getting into a groove! You've helped ease my mind by giving me a small glimpse of what it will be like for me this fall. When do clinicals start?

I'm still wondering why on earth they scare students with the catheter jazz....