What didnt you do in school?

Nurses General Nursing

Published

I'm getting close to graduation, and theres SO many things I've never done on a live patient! Stuff like, foley, IV's, injections, (all I really have done is some minor wound care and hygiene stuff) It makes me nervous, but hopefully I'll be blessed with a great orientation....SO.... What types of things had you never done on a live person til after you were licensed and working?

Have you precepted a new grad and been surprised at the skills they hadn't had much practice with?

netglow, ASN, RN

4,412 Posts

Holy Crap. Get your money back.

Sun0408, ASN, RN

1,761 Posts

Specializes in Trauma Surgical ICU.

Skills were something I was worried about also. But after working I have learned that many "nursing" skills are taught to lay people. So don't worry to much about that. Your education and what others will rely on is your assessment skills, knowing when something isn't right, knowing this order is not safe or that K level needs action now etc..

Skills will come in time, when you start working ask your preceptor to give you all the chances to master those skills but don't forget the other stuff.. Nursing is so much more than tasks :)

Sun0408, ASN, RN

1,761 Posts

Specializes in Trauma Surgical ICU.

Injections we started in second semester, I was able to start my first IV in third, I inserted my first foley the last semester of nursing school.. Depending on your clinical sites, these tasks may not come up while you are their so yes, it can be difficult to do. I didn't drop my first NG or OG til I was in the working in the ICU. It was 3 years before I drew my own labs because lab techs were not used at my current facility..

Never be scared to say, I need help I have never done that before..

%63theend

400 Posts

Specializes in ER.

In school I put in 2 or 3 foleys. Never put in an IV. Never suctioned a trach. Never did anything with an NG tube. I worked med surge for 6 months after graduating and in all that time I put in ONE foley, used the IV team for all IV's, did nothing more than monitor NG output, never had a pt with a trach.

aachavez

341 Posts

Sun0408, thanks, that actually makes me feel a lot better. I feel like knowledge wise I'm doing really well, if that makes sense. I have done SQ injections, mostly on myself so no biggie.

I have done tons of stuff in lab, and I have my final term with my preceptorship coming up soon, so hopefully I'll get to do more of the hands on stuff. Thanks again, and Rizz too!

chrisrn24

905 Posts

Skills were something I was worried about also. But after working I have learned that many "nursing" skills are taught to lay people. So don't worry to much about that. Your education and what others will rely on is your assessment skills, knowing when something isn't right, knowing this order is not safe or that K level needs action now etc..

Skills will come in time, when you start working ask your preceptor to give you all the chances to master those skills but don't forget the other stuff.. Nursing is so much more than tasks :)

Exactly.

I never did any of that on a live patient but nursing is more about assessment and knowing your stuff rather than starting IVs

Julius Seizure

1 Article; 2,282 Posts

Specializes in Pediatric Critical Care.

This is just how nursing school is these days, I guess. Mine was the same. I think nurses who went to school in earlier years had a different experience. But everything everyone has said is so right on - you will learn the procedures and that stuff as you go. Find a couple great coworker resources on your unit and never be afraid to ask for backup. Nursing really is learned on the job, not in school!

TheCommuter, BSN, RN

102 Articles; 27,612 Posts

Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.

During school clinical rotations I never had the chance to...

1. Insert a Foley catheter

2. Start a peripheral IV

3. Insert a NG tube (I've still never done this in my 7 years of bedside nursing)

4. Irrigate an indwelling urinary catheter

5. Perform a real head-to-toe assessment

6. Apply a wound vac

7. Flush a PICC or central line

8. Administer blood

9. Perform intraosseous infusions (Still never done this)

10. Assess for livor mortis or rigor mortis

The ones I listed are the top ten, but there's still so much I never learned in nursing school. My nursing programs (LVN and RN) focused on passing NCLEX and not much else.

Reading this makes me feel better.

It's sad that some basic skills aren't bring taught anymore. I figure it has more to do with the clinical sites not allowing it?? Shoot we practiced injections and the alike on each other...

SandraCVRN

597 Posts

Specializes in OR Hearts 10.

I think some is site specific but some is just chance. At my first facilty after nursing school we had an IV team, a uro team, an ortho team (pin care, traction, etc). I also did my clinicals at this hospital. It was a great place to work and a great place to be a patient. The patients loved it because they were not being practiced on (unless someone new was joining one of the teams). Most pts came to the floor with IV's in place, and foleys if needed from the ED or PACU.

If things needed to be restarted there was always someone with "skills" to help you along. Personally I would rather trade a skill with a co-worker then poke and prod my pt. I am just NOT any good with IV's, can do them all day on the mannequin by miss on a live pt.

Good luck with school.....

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