Head to toe assessments on classmates?

[Clovery]

I just started my second semester of nursing classes, and this term we have an assessment lab. The instructor told us that we'd be practicing and performing head to toe assessments for the practicum on each other. I felt stupid asking this question in class, so I didn't...

Um, just how "intimate" will this be? Should I be sure to shave before lab class? Make sure my underwear match? Surely we won't be doing breast exams and such on each other, right?!? I think that would give me more anxiety than the practicum itself.

[nurseprnRN, BSN, RN]

another part of this to remember is that some nursing students freak out when they see and touch actual human bodies in hospitals, because many of them haven't seen that many (especially the younger students). this is one more aspect of lab that is really important. you are going to work with a lot of bodies in your career; your body is going to be seen and touched by a lot more people than you think, too-- if you are seen by different hcps as the years go by, if you are admitted to hospital, whatever. this is a safe way to make the tiniest start down that road to getting used to what we do with people.

the instructor who pointed out that this gives you a chance at empathy towards the patient is spot-on.

what makes your body so much more important than any other body on the planet earth, snowflake ? answer: ummm, nothing. if you have something you're embarrassed about (like those stretch marks, scars, hairs, or less-than-perfect shape), imagine how a patient feels about having his/hers seen, and remember that you will begin to learn how to treat him/her accordingly by remembering how you feel in lab next week. as a nurse, will you care about that scar or those stretch marks, in the infinite scheme of things? no, because we care for people as they come to us. you are just..one more person. this is another skill to learn in lab. and you thought it was all just listening to heart sounds and learning to "give shots.":smokin:

oh, and the instructor who lets you listen to breath and heart and bp sounds through a shirt is doing you no favors at all, and worse if it gives some of your classmates the idea that it's ok to do that ever in real clinical practice. it's not.

[Clovery]

another part of this to remember is that some nursing students freak out when they see and touch actual human bodies in hospitals, because many of them haven't seen that many (especially the younger students). this is one more aspect of lab that is really important. you are going to work with a lot of bodies in your career; your body is going to be seen and touched by a lot more people than you think, too-- if you are seen by different hcps as the years go by, if you are admitted to hospital, whatever. this is a safe way to make the tiniest start down that road to getting used to what we do with people.

the instructor who pointed out that this gives you a chance at empathy towards the patient is spot-on.

what makes your body so much more important than any other body on the planet earth, snowflake ? answer: ummm, nothing. if you have something you're embarrassed about (like those stretch marks, scars, hairs, or less-than-perfect shape), imagine how a patient feels about having his/hers seen, and remember that you will begin to learn how to treat him/her accordingly by remembering how you feel in lab next week. as a nurse, will you care about that scar or those stretch marks, in the infinite scheme of things? no, because we care for people as they come to us. you are just..one more person. this is another skill to learn in lab. and you thought it was all just listening to heart sounds and learning to "give shots.":smokin:

oh, and the instructor who lets you listen to breath and heart and bp sounds through a shirt is doing you no favors at all, and worse if it gives some of your classmates the idea that it's ok to do that ever in real clinical practice. it's not.

i've gone through a pregnancy and had a baby in a hospital so i'm well aware of what it feels like to be completely exposed as a patient. and no, i don't think my body is any more important. it's awkward on a whole other level if your private areas are exposed to your peers while your instructor looks on. it's a totally different feeling and situation when you are truly the patient. we all had to get a complete physical before starting school so everyone should know how it feels to be naked as a patient. the difference is that you don't see your health practitioners outside of a clinical setting. with fellow students, you study together, complain about stuff, go to the bar after the big exam. i think it'd be extremely awkward to go out and share a plate of nachos with the person who just had their hand up my lady parts. i was just wondering what level of modesty i'd be able to keep, and sports bra and shorts is okay. not that i will enjoy it but there's really no other way to learn and practice in a lab setting. btw geocities called and it wants its comic sans back.

[nurseprnRN, BSN, RN]

"i think it'd be extremely awkward to go out and share a plate of nachos with the person who just had their hand up my lady parts."

i've been out for a drink with a nurse practitioner who's done that to me. neither one of us thought very much about it afterwards, since it wasn't such a special experience for either of us. ymmv.

i like comic sans .

[PacoUSA, BSN, RN]

Oh goodie, another chick fight on allnurses ...