I thought we learned that in nursing school!

Libby1987 · May 2, 2015

Based on recent preceptor experience, we need to ensure that all of our nurses are practicing competently. Based on accounts that I hear, facilities need to do the same.

CaringGerinurse525 · May 2, 2015

We have a skills fair every year where we are required to demonstrate inserting foleys, obtaining accuchecks, wound care, administering a tb test and even washing our hands, ðŸ˜§etc. It really can be a pain to do every year but I guess they need the documentation.

cardiacfreak, ADN · May 2, 2015

Our ED dept recently had a foley check off and only 50% anchored the foley correctly using aeseptic technique. Hmmmm do you wonder what our CAUTI rate is?

Aurora77 · May 2, 2015

We have mandatory recredentialing on skills as well. With the big push to drastically decrease CAUTIs, it makes sense that foley insertion be covered. The number CAUTIs wouldn't be so high if we were all (myself included) better at catheter instertion and care.

proud nurse, BSN, RN · May 2, 2015

The PCA's at my hospital insert Foley's. I'd guess that the majority of the nurses are pretty rusty on their skills.

nynursey_ · May 2, 2015

I'm not at all rusty. And it sucks to have to continually demonstrate these things. I don't need to spend 4 hours at a skills fair when I could be doing patient care. âœ‹ðŸ»

Libby1987 · May 2, 2015

It is too bad that a high level of demonstrated competency doesn't have a longer shelf life.

brownbook · May 2, 2015

I don't know how big your hospital is. However management, infection control, cannot know the skill level of every nurse.

Every area of nursing is different. Some nurses work their whole lives, even in acute care, bedside nursing, and never place foley catheters. Same for almost every basic nursing 101 procedure. Just be thankful for an easy day of skills review, which I assume you get paid for.

Keep an open mind, you may learn something new some day!

icuRNmaggie, BSN, RN · May 2, 2015

Either this skill is not being taught correctly or the nursing student was absent that day. I received a nstemi patient who was on plavix and heparin and was hemmorhaging from a foley inflated in the member. I can attest to the fact that there are working nurses who are not competent in this skill.

Nasogastric tubes are another potentially dangerous nursing responsibility that is poorly understood and should require a yearly competency. I can not understand how so many nurses-even good nurses- do not understand the mechanics and think it is acceptable to tie a knot in the pigtail. Drawing blood cultures is another skill that should require a yearly competency as well.

I was not too enthused about a mandatory inservice about CVCs ports and PICCS after working all night. It was very thorough and I learned a few new tips and tricks. These classes are sometimes held as part of a corrective action plan following an adverse event. It is always worthwhile to have a quick

review and update on EBP.

NOADLS · May 2, 2015

They're paying you good money to play with a mannequin rather than having to deal with potential troublemakers. Don't complain.

elkpark · May 2, 2015

My nursing career goes back to the "good ol' days," when the fact that you had a license was all the proof anyone needed that you were competent in all the basic, typical nursing skills. However, times have changed -- and, apparently, so have nurses, and licensure no longer means that the license holder is clinically competent.

The bottom line is that the various regulatory agencies now require that hospitals verify nurses' competency in individual skills; just being licensed isn't good enough. Your employer isn't any happier about it than you are, believe me, but the rules are the rules ... :)