Clinical Checkoffs

Nursing Students General Students

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I'm a little confused, in our syllabus, all 480 pages of it we have sheets listed with the skills and checkoffs for that particular skill. We started this week with our checkoffs(didn't use the sheets) he just verbally told us if we pass/fail...which me and my partner failed all of them basically :( I was wondering though, shouldn't the "real" checkoff come when your actually in the hospital, is that what those sheets are for? If so, then technically I haven't failed? Really confused about that at this point. Also, we fail as a "we" not an individual which is silly, you get into nursing school by "yourself" so it should be an individual fail, not a "we"

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No you have to be checked off before you can even get to the clinical, at least that is how it is at my school. You ge tyour skill check off then you have hte oppurtunity to go to clinical and use the skills. They have to knwo you knwo what youa re doing before they let you loose on the client

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No you have to be checked off before you can even get to the clinical, at least that is how it is at my school. You ge tyour skill check off then you have hte oppurtunity to go to clinical and use the skills. They have to knwo you knwo what youa re doing before they let you loose on the client

I know that, but since we didn't use our check off sheets, as in fill them out. He just verbalized. The sheets are very detailed with all sorts of things and wondering, does the instructor and yourself fill these out when you get into actual clinical?

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Specializes in med/surg, telemetry, IV therapy, mgmt.

the "check off" is whatever your instructors say it is. it sounds like, in your case, it is in your nursing lab. that is where most nursing students do their check offs. if your instructor told you that you failed at check off of a procedure, then you need to believe that you failed the check off. why would you want to do a procedure poorly in the hospital on an actual patient if you haven't been able to demonstrate that you can do it correctly in a nursing lab? how do you think the patient would feel? if you are graded as a pair then you need to pick your clinical partner carefully when it comes to check off days. if you have a partner who is screwing up your attempts to pass your clinical check offs, then perhaps it is time to get another partner. many schools do this partnered check off thing to save time because of the large numbers of students they need to check off.

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the "check off" is whatever your instructors say it is. it sounds like, in your case, it is in your nursing lab. that is where most nursing students do their check offs. if your instructor told you that you failed at check off of a procedure, then you need to believe that you failed the check off. why would you want to do a procedure poorly in the hospital on an actual patient if you haven't been able to demonstrate that you can do it correctly in a nursing lab? how do you think the patient would feel? if you are graded as a pair then you need to pick your clinical partner carefully when it comes to check off days. if you have a partner who is screwing up your attempts to pass your clinical check offs, then perhaps it is time to get another partner. many schools do this partnered check off thing to save time because of the large numbers of students they need to check off.

i wish i had the option of doing that....we have the same partner throughout. and i know what both of you said, you have to pass in your lab before you goto an actual client. my question is, are the sheets actually filled out when you go into the hospital. the student and the instructor has to initial and then the instructor has a box for comments where you need to improve. the sheets for each procedure are 3-4 pages. that's what i was wondering about.

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Specializes in med/surg, telemetry, IV therapy, mgmt.
. . .My question is, are the sheets actually filled out when you go into the hospital. The student and the instructor has to initial and then the instructor has a box for comments where you need to improve. The sheets for each procedure are 3-4 pages. That's what I was wondering about.

These procedure sheets were only used and marked on when we were checked off and graded on our skills during our nursing labs in the school. After that, we were never checked off on them again. So, you need to memorize the steps of the 3 or 4 pages of a skill and know them before you get checked off on them. If your partner isn't going to take the initiative to do it, then you'll have to pull the weight for you both. Your partnership is only going to be as weak as the strongest link, to turn the adage around. You can't let your partner pull you down. Get someone else to coach you through these lists until you know them and before you go to your clinical class. If you are doing things correctly, but your partner isn't, you will have a legitimate case to complain if you are still failed due to your partner's goofs, but I can't believe that an instructor would be that unfair.

When you are actually in the hospital and working on real patients, it is highly unlikely that an instructor is going to be with you all the time. The instructors are kept running from student to student with all kinds of things they need to check on, usually more advanced procedures like checking on medications a student is going to give or things like catheter insertions and enemas. This is one reason why they need to make sure you know how to do these basic skills. They won't be there to help you with them in the hospital.

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Tele.

did you say , you just started, maybe this was a practice run.

We actually have 3 try's for each skill.

The sheets were filled out at the official check off time and that was also an official document , just as a official written theoretical test document would be. Ask your instructor to make sure.

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Specializes in 5 yrs OR, ASU Pre-Op 2 yr. ER.

We had a checkoff we had to complpete in "skills" in class before we could go to clinical. Then we got a new checkoff sheet that we had for clinical, that had to be finished by the end of the year.

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Specializes in Ortho, Neuro, Detox, Tele.

We have to pass certain skills in the lab before we go to clinical. mainly temperature, VS, transfers, and handwashing. Then we have to return demo skills after we are taught in class in the nursing lab, according to instructors there are few skills that we are checked off on in clinicals...does that make sense to anyone else??

They claim clinical is more about giving patients care and meds, making sure you know how to interact with patients...

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My anxiety was so high today before checkoff, I barely slept last night and it carried me through the morning. I barely could eat. I literally became physically sick to my stomach. I have HORRIBLE test anxiety.

But by the grace of God, I did it. I've got so much on me though. I am not good at the patho, don't know my labs (i've been on break for personal reasons and it's been awhile since being in a program...almost two years) and know I'm going to have to swim hard this semester. Good luck to you.

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