First vaginal exam

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How are new nurses taught lady partsl exams? Do you just learn about it in theory, and then go in and do it with the patient unaware you don't know what you are doing?

Or does your preceptor go in with you to assist? It just seems to me that a laboring women wouldn't be too keen on being a teaching moment...:confused:

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Specializes in L&D, QI, Public Health.
How are new nurses taught lady partsl exams? Do you just learn about it in theory, and then go in and do it with the patient unaware you don't know what you are doing?

Or does your preceptor go in with you to assist? It just seems to me that a laboring women wouldn't be too keen on being a teaching moment...:confused:

Good question. I've been wondering this myself. I was thinking of maybe doing it on a patient who has an epidural, cuz my patients look SO uncomfortable when they have an exam.

I hate pap smears, so I can only imagine the discomfort of a freaking hand all up your stuff.

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Specializes in School Nursing, Pedi., Critical Care.

It has been my experience that the patient is aware or you ask the patient if they mind to have a student nurse. My preceptor was always at my side and did the exam right after mine to see if we got the same dilatation. When they know you are a student they usually don't mind. Patients with an epidural is a benefit!

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I have no experience as a student nurse...YET! But I can say that when I was in labor...I was at a teaching hospital and I had more then my fair share of oB interns and student nurses with their hands up there! I didn't care though because I know that is how they learn...and I also knew that one day I would be one of those people!

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Specializes in OB.

As a student, we were not allowed to do vag exams. As a new nurse, the first few I did, I asked to please wait until the epidural was in place. I did not think it was fair to the pt to have someone who had no exp digging around and sometimes around and around searching.

I still apologize to the OB checks that come in that I have to assess, even tho I now know what I am reaching for. No matter how gentle you try to be, it still hurts!!

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I would always check before or after my preceptor, and it was always great if they had an epidural. And we had one of those models in a box that we would practice with if there was time.

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Take a female nurse partner and do it on each other. That's what we do in midwifery school. If you can learn on someone else, you can learn on each other. Not so bad as it sounds.

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Specializes in L&D/postpartum.

When I was a new nurse I always let patients know that I was learning, and not a single person ever objected to having both me and my preceptor do consecutive vag exams. I tried to do mostly patents with epidurals at first, and volunteered to check all patients even if they weren't mine, but since it's a small hospital I kind of had to take what was there that day, epidural or not.

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Specializes in L&D telephone triage.

My preceptor went with me every time. We would tell the patient both of us would be doing the exam as I was new to L&D. They usually had an epidural and were agreeable. I worked in a teaching hospital, so nurses and medical students were learning.

My problem was everyone I checked was 7 or more CM. It was over a year before I felt a closed or less dilated cervix.

And, like the other person, I still apologize for the pain or discomfort. As an Eval nurse, if possible, I save my patient's from too many exams if they are too uncomfortable or nervous.

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Specializes in Ante-Intra-Postpartum, Post Gyne.

I did a pelvic exam on a classmate in a Beginning Midwifery course I took outside of my nursing program. I got to do my first (and only so far) dilation check during a preceptorship through a different nursing program than my own. The preceptor had to duplicate all of my exams for accuracy. I did not learn on my regular OB rotation.

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Specializes in L&D.
Take a female nurse partner and do it on each other. That's what we do in midwifery school. If you can learn on someone else, you can learn on each other. Not so bad as it sounds.

YIKES!! Besides YIKES...although that would be good if you wanted to know what a closed/thick/high cervix felt like..I ain't doing it!:no::D

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YIKES!! Besides YIKES...although that would be good if you wanted to know what a closed/thick/high cervix felt like..I ain't doing it!:no::D

"I did a pelvic exam on a classmate in a Beginning Midwifery course I took outside of my nursing program. I got to do my first (and only so far) dilation check during a preceptorship through a different nursing program than my own. The preceptor had to duplicate all of my exams for accuracy. I did not learn on my regular OB rotation. "

^seriously? i cant believe some schools have the students do exams like that on each other. i would not volunteer for something like that LOL and i thought MY school was touchy-feely.

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