WOW.. two more failures and I'm out:(

moongirl · Aug 30, 2006

oh man, are you in an RN program? I def wasnt treated like that. Handwashing and infection control was like a 2 hour chunk of lab, complete with a "bug light" to show us spots where we missed. Transferring was a whole 4 hour lab, complete with a video and then practice on classmates using lifts, slider boards, wheelchairs etc.bed baths etc was an entire learning lab as well Your situation does NOT sound right

srg4784 · Aug 30, 2006

oh man, are you in an RN program? I def wasnt treated like that. Handwashing and infection control was like a 2 hour chunk of lab, complete with a "bug light" to show us spots where we missed. Transferring was a whole 4 hour lab, complete with a video and then practice on classmates using lifts, slider boards, wheelchairs etc.bed baths etc was an entire learning lab as well Your situation does NOT sound right

yeah the only video we have seen was on first aid, and transferring to stretcher so far..... we get to practice on each other, but still you really only get once chance because theres so much material. This was only our second week of lab and we got checked off on all that. I think it's too much, the other labs aren't even checking off yet.

Daytonite, BSN, RN · Aug 30, 2006

You mentioned something about videos. Do you have videos of these procedures in your nursing lab or library? If so, you need to be looking at them--not once, but a couple of times to make sure you have the information. Are there procedure manuals somewhere that tell you exactly what you are supposed to be doing step-by-step for each of these things? You need to be memorizing them. It doesn't sound like you are moving fast at all. You are moving at the same pace we moved at in my nursing program 30 years ago.

Some instructors are tougher than others. Some want students to prove to them just how badly they want to be nurses. Did you ask questions when you were making errors? What kind of feedback did you get? Some instructors want students to make a real good faith attempt to find the information on their own first--they did in my nursing program. This is how they encourage autonomy, something you will need to be familiar with when you go into the world of nursing after graduation and are still taking baby steps.

I would recommend that like actors learning their blocking (positions on the stage) and their lines, that you and your partner practice, practice, practice your next clinical check off procedure until you know it verbally by heart according to the step-by-step procedure and can do each physical part of it perfectly. This will require some hours of working together on it. If that means stopping and, let's say, performing a mitered corner 100 times until perfecting it, then that is what you do. This is how actors perfect their performance. And, getting checked off, or a grade in these procedures, is much the same. Don't make the mistake of thinking that because you've washed your hands or made your bed for years that you know the "nursing" way of doing it. That would be incorrect thinking. Open your mind a little here. You're in nursing boot camp. When the instructor says "jump", you say "how high?" and just do it, whatever it takes. You didn't work this hard to get this far to be defeated by some particularly tough instructor, did you? You're in the big leagues now. Time to show your true grit, if you've got it. You are going to be expected to do a lot of study and preparation on your own--with the exception of where you might find the resources to do this--it won't be handed to you.

ShockerGirl07 · Aug 30, 2006

Have you tried talking to him? We practiced washing our hands so many times we never wanted to wash them again. If he won't listen to you, go to someone higher up. How is everyone else doing? Good luck!:icon_hug:

BeccaznRN, RN · Aug 30, 2006

I definitely agree - the fundamental stuff is WAY too important to not spend a good chunk of time on. We were required to watch the videos relating to the lab skills before going into lab, then we were given a thorough demonstration of the skills by our faculty. And they were very good about explaining what they were doing, why they were doing it, etc. etc. It was then up to us to practice the skill during open lab hours (and we have a RN that runs our lab so she was always available to show you skills again or answer your questions), then we made an appointment to do the return demonstration for the faculty when we were ready (which was 1-2 weeks later on average).

Do you have open lab hours for practice? Perhaps you could speak with your theory instructor? Whatever you do, you've got the right idea - don't give up!!!!

Daytonite, BSN, RN · Aug 30, 2006

yeah the only video we have seen was on first aid, and transferring to stretcher so far..... we get to practice on each other, but still you really only get once chance because there's so much material. this was only our second week of lab and we got checked off on all that. i think it's too much, the other labs aren't even checking off yet.

are you sure you can only see these videos once? our nursing lab allowed us access to videos during the times that the nursing lab was open. some schools have these videos in the school library rather than the nursing lab. i search the web all the time for basic nursing clinical procedures and it is always the same. just about every nursing school has these videos of nursing procedures on restricted access to the students of their school only.

look, you need to consider nursing school very much like a full time job. during my first semester of nursing school, many of us spent hours in the nursing lab looking a film strips (video technology wasn't available then) long after classes were dismissed and other students were long gone. we came in on days when we didn't have any classes scheduled just to get to see some of these films. we also had a library of journals and nursing textbooks we could use. this is what it is going to take to get through this, kiddo. check through your orientation handouts again and see what kind of study aids the school has provided for nursing students. i'm sure they are there for you. it's going to be up to you to find out where they are and how to get access to them. if all else fails, ask someone in the nursing office or one of the other nursing instructors until you get a satisfactory answer as to where these materials are!

srg4784 · Aug 30, 2006

are you sure you can only see these videos once? our nursing lab allowed us access to videos during the times that the nursing lab was open. some schools have these videos in the school library rather than the nursing lab. i search the web all the time for basic nursing clinical procedures and it is always the same. just about every nursing school has these videos of nursing procedures on restricted access to the students of their school only.
look, you need to consider nursing school very much like a full time job. during my first semester of nursing school, many of us spent hours in the nursing lab looking a film strips (video technology wasn't available then) long after classes were dismissed and other students were long gone. we came in on days when we didn't have any classes scheduled just to get to see some of these films. we also had a library of journals and nursing textbooks we could use. this is what it is going to take to get through this, kiddo. check through your orientation handouts again and see what kind of study aids the school has provided for nursing students. i'm sure they are there for you. it's going to be up to you to find out where they are and how to get access to them. if all else fails, ask someone in the nursing office or one of the other nursing instructors until you get a satisfactory answer as to where these materials are!

thank you for the feedback, yeah were only seeing them once. the thing is though my partner (she promised me today that we would start practicing though) has a child and works days that i'm off and i work days that shes off so we didn't practice any of our skill checkoffs that we had this week. i'm going to start staying after anyways even if she doesn't to watch the videos over again. i'm just wondering ( i just emailed him) if one of us fails, does the other? like today he didn't point out things that i did wrong, but i know i did things wrong but he didn't say anything to me, just to my partner and we both failed!

Daytonite, BSN, RN · Aug 30, 2006

. . .I'm just wondering ( i just emailed him) if one of us fails, does the other? LIke today he didn't point out things that I did wrong, Im sure I did I guess but he didn't say anything to me, just to my partner and we both failed!

You need to be pro-active and ASK. Ask again, if you have to. But do it to make it clear to yourself. You owe it to yourself. Don't worry about your partner. Do this for YOU. Look at this instructor and make him answer you, don't let him ignore you. Some people will use another person's meekness to use that as an advantage over them. If he is doing this to you, recognize it and don't let him do it. If you have to, go to another instructor in the department and talk to them about him doing this.

Tweety, BSN, RN · Aug 30, 2006

Good luck!

WDWpixieRN, RN · Aug 30, 2006

I have to agree with Daytonite....forget your partner and her time issues...not that I'm not understanding, but she had to know what she was getting in to...we had our first checkoffs this Monday and thank heavens I have a great partner (I feel bad for her as she's been working as an aide in a nursing home and I don't have any experience!) who is as concerned as I am about "showing up".....she already has a lot of these skills, but knows that we need to do it the instructor's way and not what she's already been doing....however, I see some of the other younger students perhaps not taking this as seriously as others....we already lost one who said this wasn't what she expected (in week one?!?!?).

Are there alternate people you can practice with? We did that last week when one gal's partner couldn't make it during the available practice time. We ended up with about 7 of us working together to ensure we all understood techniques and what we 'thought' we were going to be tested on. The more, the merrier!!

So hang in there, do research on the net -- heaven knows there's a ton of info out there, check any CDs you might have with your book(s) or the publishers' related websites, and your school library. In our nursing lab we also have some Mosby's training on the PCs and other videos to watch. These are in addition to what's loaded on a general PC lab across the hall that's open much later than our lab, plus videos that are available in our campus library. Hang in there!!

marilynmom, LPN, NP · Aug 31, 2006

Well nursing school DOES move fast, very very fast.

At my school we get to practice once in lab and then we have to do that skill in clinical usually the next day. So moving fast is just the way it is. That is what makes nursing school so hard! We are expected to do a lot of learning both on campus and off at home, on our own--I think that is standard. IMO it doesn't sound like you are moving fast at all though, but maybe you were just not prepared or expecting to be moving so fast.

But, for physical assessment we usually watch a video (even though most are stupid...lol) and we talk about it for a bit, then go to lab to practice once. Do you have an open lab where you can go in and practice at another time? We are expected to do that, and a lot of times I practice on my husbands and kids at home. I do a lot of reading as well and there are some videos they have posted up in the stickies do watch. I also have a book that shows pictures of basic nursing skills (Foleys, etc). You have to be very proactive in your nursing skills and knowledge. When we had Fundamentals some of us would go to open lab a LOT to practice over and over and over again until we got it down.

Last lab we had to assess all the heart sounds (S1, etc), learn where all the heart sounds could be heard, know what a murmer, split sound, atrial gallop, sounded like. How to assess the pulse points (atrial, carotid pulsasions, etc) and more, all in one day.

Most nursing skills we practice once and then basically it's on the job learning.

Hang in there. Don't let your lab partner mess you up. You have to be in this for YOU and take charge of your learning.

Good luck!!!