I don't have my BSN yet...but have a question about becoming a NP

JALEXSHOE · Mar 19, 2008

My long term goal is to be a nurse practitioner. I am in the process of getting my BSN right now, and have a question. I know this may sound weird, but I heard that in the program you have to partner up with someone from class and perform pap smears on one another. Is this true, and are there some programs that may not require that?
Thanks for any info!

I had never heard that,,,though it may be true of some programs I guess. I would doubt it though. I would call the school or program and ask.

I pretty much think the standard is that you do paps in your clinical portion of the program on people who are coming in that NEED them. But then this would also depend on the type of ARNP you are becoming. I doubt psych NP's or neonatal ones, do this... But I guess I could be wrong.

blur411 · Mar 19, 2008

Sorry I should have clarified, family NP. There are only two schools around here that offer the program and one of them has you sign a form when you enter that you are alright with that, but I'm not sure on the other. I just wanted to know if it something I need to just suck up and do. Thanks

HealthyRN · Mar 19, 2008

I know it used to be the case in some programs. However, they would usually take volunteers. I can't imagine that any program would be able to require you to do this. Can you imagine that happening in this litigious society? I can see someone suing because they were forced to get naked for a pap.

Now, fortunately, many programs hire professional "patients", people who allow medical students, NP/PAs, and other health professionals perform exams on them and then give feedback on their technique. That is how my FNP program did it. To teach midwifery and FNPs about pregnancy exams, students who were pregnant were asked to volunteer, but it was never required.

gogatsby · Mar 20, 2008

I'm getting my BSN as well right now, and one of my instructors is a Women's Health NP...she went to Penn, and she told us that they did pelvic exams on each other. Soooo I guess it still happens!

yellow finch, BSN, RN · Mar 20, 2008

I'm in a FNP program right now. All of my pelvic/pap exams are done on clients who come to the office. None of which are done on other students. Some of my instructors tell me that they had to do this sort of thing on each other back in the day (as recent as the 80s), but nobody has done this in recent years.

DaisyRN, ACNP · Mar 29, 2008

hey there,

the way that my school provided us with the opportunity for pap smearing (and prostate exam, for that matter) was with standardized patients during the health assessment course. one day, we went to this building at the school and partnered up with a person from class of the opposite sex. that way we have one of each sex represented in the "patient's" room at all time. these "patients" are paid to let the students examine them. me and this guy went in and did a pap on a female standardized pt, then we went and did a prostate exam on a male volunteer. not fellow students.

also, you get exposure to this in the first semester (or mine was first clinical semester) in the im clinic with real patients. standardized patients eliminate the awkwardness with true patients. very good idea!

my long term goal is to be a nurse practitioner. i am in the process of getting my bsn right now, and have a question. i know this may sound weird, but i heard that in the program you have to partner up with someone from class and perform pap smears on one another. is this true, and are there some programs that may not require that?

thanks for any info!

Miss Mab · Mar 29, 2008

Apparently, according to current and accepted Columbia students, they actually do perform these exams on fellow students.

See their ETP thread below if interested......

Advanced Practice Columnist / Guide · Mar 31, 2008

I attended an acute care NP program. For our reproductive system assessment lecture and skill training, our school hired a group who specializes on providing actual persons who serve as "patient models" for students. We had to pay them so we can perform pelvic exams and male reproductive exams on them. They were extremely professional in dealing with the students and offered us great pointers on how to help put a patient at ease especially when you are examining them in such a vulnerable and private area of their body. Perform pelvics on each other? I wouldn't participate in that if I was a student.

forensic gal · Apr 1, 2008

I am a Women's Health NP and we had clients that were paid by the school to come in and be our patients this included all of our examinations including the pelvic portion. We did one pelvic in the "lab" and then all the others were done within the clinical portion.

Have you considered an RN to MSN track where you bypass the BSN? Could save you some hours and $$

blur411 · Apr 1, 2008

I'm already half way done with my BSN, originally I was going to do the RN to BSN but the waiting lists for the ADN programs were outrageous!

anc33 · Apr 4, 2008

Our school also has paid "patients" that we perform the exams on. I would not feel comfortable doing any kind of lady partsl/rectal exam on another student let alone have them do one on me. I am all for getting to know my classmates well, but not that well!

I do remember, as a BSN student at Hopkins, that we were given the option of practice breast exams on each other. It was voluntary and most of us declined.