What test out skill gave you the most trouble?

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by GypsyRose07
Dec 10, '07   Views: 1,899   Comments: 10

  1. [FONT=Arial Narrow]Hi everyone

    What clinical skill that you had to be tested on gave you the most trouble? Today was my last test out, and it was for a sterile dressing change/sterile gloves. Everything went smoothly when I removed the old dressing. But when it came time to begin the sterile procedure, I ended up putting my sterile gloves on the WRONG hands, and I didn't even realize it! Also one of my 2x2s slid off of the package and hit the tabletop, and then I broke sterility by brushing up against the patient's gown. I swear, I felt like such an idiot. I actually even cried a little bit. My instructor was very sweet and helpful so tomorrow I'm going to practice and then re-test on Friday. She said it was the most difficult skill to test out on so far (this is my first semester) and to not beat myself up so badly because I definitely wasn't the only one, but I still feel terrible. I even grabbed a bunch of sterile gloves to take home with me to practice.

    How about all of you? What was your most difficult skill that you had to be tested on?


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    Joined: Dec '07; Posts: 9; Likes: 9

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  3. by beth66335
    Dec 10, '07
    Occupation: Student, wife, and Mom of 3, and that is plenty! From: US ; Joined: May '07; Posts: 900; Likes: 298
    I did SC injection of regular insulin and the skill wasn't that hard, it was all the verbalizations I had to do w/ it! I passed though, and all the people who did dry sterile dressing that day but one, failed it! All the sterile stuff is hard! Good luck Friday I'm sure you will do fine this time, just take your time!
  4. by southernbelle08
    Dec 10, '07
    Occupation: RN - Nursery Specialty: 8 year(s) of experience in Oncology, Med-Surg, Nursery ; From: US ; Joined: Aug '07; Posts: 398; Likes: 156
    Sterile gloves/sterile dressing change for me as well. I passed the skill, but I have to say that is the one that stressed me the most and I worried about more than anything. It was also the one the most people had to recheck on in the class. Way more for that skill than for IV start.
  5. by krenee
    Dec 10, '07
    Joined: Nov '05; Posts: 522; Likes: 161
    Meds was the hardest for me - so much to remember!

    Kelly
  6. by Monica D
    Dec 11, '07
    Joined: Dec '06; Posts: 47; Likes: 11
    Sterile technique is hard....period. It's one of those things that you can watch people over and over and think through it while you're watching someone else do, but when YOU start doing it, everything goes out the door. :uhoh21:
  7. by Achoo!
    Dec 11, '07
    Occupation: Urgent Care Joined: Feb '04; Posts: 1,740; Likes: 49
    I think piggyback and backpriming was the hardest for me. Funny because in the hospital on a pump it is so easy, but using gravity, remembering which clamp to close, which to open, when to drop the bag down, all of that threw me off.
  8. by ally21
    Dec 11, '07
    From: US ; Joined: Apr '07; Posts: 92; Likes: 13
    In NUR101 we were tested on injections, sterile technique, B/P, and I think that's it.... Injections wasn't so bad, but I was extremely nervous. We had to pick a card from a pile and mine was demerol given IM using a carpuject. Sterile technique wasn't so bad, but a lot of people were told that they should've grabbed extra supplies incase something should've happened like dropping the 4X4 in the wrong area or something. In class she stressed how it's important to always carry around extra supplies with you so you wouldn't have to turn your back from the sterile field.

    I don't know what we're being tested on next semester. Not gonna think about it right now!
  9. by HeartsOpenWide
    Dec 11, '07
    Occupation: "Birth Center" Staff Nurse Specialty: Ante-Intra-Postpartum, Post Gyne ; From: US ; Joined: Jul '05; Posts: 3,067; Likes: 2,035
    I did not have any problems with clinical skill unless you count the scary "do or die" math exam we had to take the first semester ( like figuring out the drip rate of an IV incase the power goes out and you have to use a manual methold...eeke!)
  10. by MB37
    Dec 11, '07
    Joined: Aug '05; Posts: 1,744; Likes: 533
    Toughest for me was cath insertion, since it was the first sterile skill we were tested on. I had to start over twice, from the beginning - we were allowed to still pass if we broke sterile field, but only if WE noticed, stopped outselved immediately, and started over. I have a little better "sterile conscious" now that I've practiced more, but I've still only cathed one real person, and it's the only sterile skill I've done in clinical. We have 20 hrs/week at the hospital next semester, I bet we'll get to do a lot more.
  11. by bekindtokittens
    Dec 11, '07
    Occupation: Cat mom, doting wife. Specialty: Psych. ; From: US ; Joined: May '07; Posts: 411; Likes: 337
    Sterile procedure gives me trouble anyway, because I am so focused on staying sterile and whether or not I broke sterile field that I forget other things I need to do.

    Trach suctioning and care was the hardest for me. There are so many opportunities to break sterile field.
  12. by StudentNurseAbby
    Dec 11, '07
    Joined: Nov '05; Posts: 316; Likes: 12
    Sterile dressing changes/gloving.

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