I get so stressed during check-offs!!

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I was wondering if anyone else has such a hard time with checkoffs. I'm just in the beginning nursing skills and although I have done most of the skills so far just working in the hospital, I get so nervous when it comes to checkoffs. I forget the process and end of leaving out steps. It's so hard to pretend that the mannequin is a real person and imagine all the scenarios for me. Any advice??

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Specializes in Rehab.

last week we started check-offs (vitals) and i actually started crying during my bp check-off because the instructor made me so nervous (i've been taking bp on my mom for 3 years because of her hypertension).... she asked me if i was really that nervous, and i replied yes. she really tried to calm me down and make me feel better, but it was really unnerving. so, in short... i get really nervous, too.

i don't know if you guys have sheets that tell you step-by-step what you are supposed to do (right from "walk into residents room and wash hands"), but we do. i've found that the best way to keep the nerves at bay is to practice, practice, practice the procedure until you can do it in your sleep. practice it until you feel like an expert. that way, when it's time to do the check off, you can't help but do well because it will be second nature. btw, what is your next check-off over?

please know there is someone else in your shoes. :)

blessings,

~crystal~

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i was nervous at the first time, really , i mess up with bp. i work as cna almost 3,5 years and really never it was like that time for me. i took it right, i heard my systolic right but because it was not sostrong like second sound i just ignore it ( i swaer it happens to me maybe 1/100) but it was this 100 for me this time. i told my instructor that i heard this soung afterall and she accept it just want me to not ignore it next time and believe what i hear. later it just comes to me bacuase i always try to not think about instructor watching me only concentrate on pt. we practiced our vs, transfer, positioning , body mech, med asepsis on oartners, we watched videoes, we never did washing on each other, it was done on our real pts. i just practice more and never assume that i am good all the times i take bp. every pt is different and i try to remember it.

good luck to you, :)

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Specializes in Med-Surg, Psych.

When I recently passed off on vital signs, I was the "patient" for my lab partner. Well, I have a very high resting heart rate and high BP; the instructor kept asking me why I was so nervous!

Funny thing is I wasn't, but then she made me when she kept saying "Why is your heart rate so fast!" and "Your blood pressure is high, you MUST be nervous"..... well by that point, I was starting to feel a bit anxious! :uhoh21:

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Specializes in Cardiology.

I'm in your shoes too. Every time we get tested on a skill, I become a bundle of nerves. I know what I'm doing, yet I seem to freeze up. It's gotten a little better with each subsequent skills test. Hopefully in time it will just feel natural. Good luck to you.

...Jennifer...

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You are not alone. Most everyone feels this way.

When I was in my first semester of nursing school, one of the professors decided to be part of the basic skills check-offs. Normally, the lab skills RN's, who ran the nursing lab did this, but she (the prof) had some sort of personal vendetta on our entire class. (We were a very "outspoken" group not in a disrespectful way, but we "talked back" and challenged many policies, grades, etc...in the long run we made things better, I think, for those who came into the program after us).

Anyway... she was in-charge of the temperature skill ck.off, and she flunked students because they were off by 1 degree when reading it. 4_2_111v.gif Bad nursing student!

Be happy you don't have her!!!!.

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Thanks so much for all those great words!! Sometimes it feels good just to hear that you are not the only one experiencing these pains. My total mastery checkoff is Tuesday so wish me luck and thanks again.

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Thanks so much for all those great words!! Sometimes it feels good just to hear that you are not the only one experiencing these pains. My total mastery checkoff is Tuesday so wish me luck and thanks again.[/QU[/url]OTE]

Don't be 4_6_218v.gif

 .

You will do 4_17_3.gif 4_1_9.gif

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I got so nervous during blood pressure checkoff my blood pressure climbed to 142 and repspirations were over the top. My partner was horrifed of these new findings

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Specializes in LPN.

it will continue on into real life nursing. I did a manual bp hearing much lower pressure than my superviosr. Turns out she was hearing kirshchiffs sounds. Another reason is that your hearing may be better/worse than the instructors. Can you help it? Act confident and friendly. Pretend when you don't feel it. Pretend the instructor is your freind, smile at them and treat them kindly. It will go a long way.

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Specializes in Rehab.

We will definitely be thinking about you on Tuesday!!!

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i got so nervous on my first skills validation...it was embarrassing...

we had to pick out of a hat for transfers. i got the bed to stretcher. the hardest one. the lady that volunteered to be my patient..i didn't know her...and she was kinda a bigger lady.

i got so nervous thinking about how the heck i was going to get her onto that stretcher that i just stood there trembling for what seemed like an hour...the instructor finally asked if i would like to come back and do it again on a different day....to which i replied "YES!"

i still get kinda shaky, but it's gotten much better!

you are definitely not the only one!

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