First time doing skills in MedSurg

[MegoEgo]

Hello everyone,

I am in my second semester of nursing school and we have MedSurg and OB together along with another side class. In my program, we learn "critical skills" the first semester and have to be tested out after we do them on the dummies in the skills lab. We were not allowed to try them on patients last semester. In MedSurg, now we have to do these skills on the spot. I am absolutely petrified. I was scared when I was observed during the testing, and am even more scared now. I will have to put in a Foley, do wound dressing changes, etc. How do you prepare for doing these skills for the first time on a real patient?

I just feel very overwhelmed because we had like 3523423 steps to memorize that had to be done when we tested out. I could not possible remember them all at this point. I will definitely brush up, but I have heard that my instructor is pretty strict and doesn't give you a heads up (obviously) on when skills will need to be performed during clinical. I am so nervous I can't even think. I am scared I will fail because I forget a step or cannot remember how to do a certain skill. Help me!!!

[jorjaRN]

You are more prepared than you think. I know it's super intimidating, but the best advice I can give is to take a deep breath, take your time, and don't get hung up on every little tiny step that was listed on those crazy checklists. Instead, think about the major important things about whatever procedure you're doing.

For example, for a foley, your main ideas are staying sterile, inserting the catheder correctly, watching for urine return, inflating balloon. Try to come up with the major things for each procedure, and the little things you'll do naturally if you concentrate on the stuff that's really important.

I'm not saying not to look over your checklists, or to skip anything, but IMO it's so much easier (and more "real world") to concentrate on the bigger things and allow this to trigger your memory rather than stressing to remember every tiny little step exactly how it was written.

Hope that helps, and good luck. Clinical's aren't as bad as you think they'll be :)