IS THIS TRUE???

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Recently read on a nursing blog: Nurse (BSN in 2010) said during school clinicals, students disrobed to their undergarments to practice on each other (sponge bathing, other procedures, etc) The few guys in the class practiced on each other, and the gals with the gals but the whole classes disrobed out in the open first. The entire class watched each pair work at their respective station. Don't know where the school was located. No one openly complained, she said. I Never heard of such a thing. Certainly didn't happen in my school.

Does that actually happen?

How did you learn assessments?

We had to ask a friend or family member to volunteer for our HTA skills check off. They kept their clothes on. Everything else we had manequins. We even had the manequin arms with fake blood (worked only half the time) to practice IVs. But just getting the steps down for the skill was most helpful and knowing what my routine was for a skill helped me the most.

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There is no way I'd be able to do this stuff, even in a tank and shorts. My "shorts" that I would wear out to, let's say, walmart reach almost to my knees, but most of the time I'm in pants. I hate wearing a bathing suit, but classic "shorts" are what I wear over a bathing suit bottom, and even then I feel like they're too short. I'll wear a tank top around the house but if I'm stepping outside there's a shirt that goes over it. I also feel like nursing school was a professional setting, with a lot of people that I was acquainted with but was not friendly with. I would not have ever taken clothes off in front of them.

We did turning and repositioning and transfers and the like, and I had no problem volunteering to be the patient. Even with bowel and heart sounds. But if I was required to strip down to less than a t shirt and Capri pants, it would've been a problem. I'm just way too modest to not be completely unnerved because of that.

I have yet to be inpatient anywhere, but I can completely envision myself arguing with my nurse that it's completely logical for me to wear a sports bra and underwear under my gown to surgery, and I very much see myself absolutely refusing help with bathing from anyone other than my mother or fiancé. The little scene in my mind is actually kind of hilarious, because I know better, but I have a feeling eventually it will happen somewhat like I imagine.

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In the other thread about this, many people stated "if you are not willing to experience what it feels like to be a patient, you have no business being a nurse"

I really don't understand this sentiment. Playing make-believe for 15 minutes is nothing at all like being a real patient. I don't think a person can fully comprehend the feeling of vulnerability or the feeling of loss of control or the angst of waiting for test/treatment results, unless they've experienced it first-hand. A person with well-developed empathy and emotional maturity will probably get closer, but I think that they can manage this just fine without the benefit of having classmates give them bed baths, turning them in bed etc.

If I compare this to my previous law enforcement career where we'd practice extensively on the range loading our service weapons with FX ammunition (simunition) and play cops and robbers (the instructors would do their best to make it as realistic as possible), it was nothing like the first time a hostile individual under the influence of narcotic drugs wielded a large, very sharp implement in my general direction. In my opinion it's ridiculous to think that you can play-act these scenarios and have it feel like the "real thing", whether they are life-threatening physical attacks or serious illness.

My point is, while practising on the range was very useful and improved our technique/tactics, it didn't teach me or anyone else of my coworkers how it really feels to be under attack.

In healthcare there are very few procedures that can ethically be practised on a person who has no medical need for that procedure. I intubate on a regular basis,

I sure as heck didn't practise that on classmates. I practised in sim lab and then I performed intubations on patients under the guidance of very experienced coworkers. I see no reason why not all assessments and procedures that we do shouldn't be learned in a similar fashion. Sim, mannequins, fake body parts and then on real patients with appropriate support.

And to those who still think that one has to experience the "patient role" in class. Nurses are human beings :) If they haven't already been patients, they will.

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LOL! I said it was med school in the 80's. Looonng time ago.

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Yes, we did! They even wanted us to f/c each other. This was in LPN school in 2011.

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Specializes in critical care.
Yes, we did! They even wanted us to f/c each other. This was in LPN school in 2011.

Does f/c mean foley cath? Because I do NOT think that causing a significant risk of infection getting an experience easily obtained on mannequins then patients is reasonable AT ALL.

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Specializes in NICU, PICU, PACU.

Back in the dim dark days, before mannequins, we did exams on each other but we had on a tshirt and shorts. We did practice basic skills on each other ie bathing (abbreviated version), making an occupied bed, putting someone on a bedpan, getting them out of bed, moving up in bed or repositioning and back in the day of Stryker frames and Circulomatic beds we strapped each other in, threatened bodily harm if someone dumped you out, and twirled away! Scariest part of school lol

We didn't do IVs or such on each other.

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