Lack Of Skills Training

[wonhaeng]

I'm only in my 4th week of nursing school. We have had 7 skills lab sessions in which we watched the instructors demonstrate at least a dozen different skills (NG tube insertion, dressing changes, Foley cath insertion, etc). Unfortunately, the students have not had any opportunity to perform these skills ourselves. I'm going to be assigned my first patient tomorrow and don't have a clue what I'm doing.

When I went through CNA training, we practiced each procedure over again until we could perform them in our sleep before we had any patients. Is this how all of the nursing programs are structured? Although my test scores are very good, I'm seriously considering whether I should complete the entire semester over again at another college. I'd appreciate any advice.

Thanks,

Tom

[Bec717]

Yes, we have had students ready to graduate who have never performed some skills~ it's those 7 weeks crash course, hope the opportunity presents itself way of education now :+(

Here is a great set of videos I found and have used~ not all links work, so just keep trying them~ wonderful instructor with lots of help and explanations~~ Good Luck!!

http://www.csufresno.edu/DCG/videos/faculty/Dutra/N110A/

[DesertRain]

There are also RN's working on the floor who have still never performed a skill he or she did in lab on a patient. A newly graduated RN friend of mine told me that when we get out into the real world, it's always okay to ask. I myself have gotten used to the video thing (Thanks Bec717 by they way) and by hunting down a patient during clinical that may need something I have yet to practice. Another thing that has happened to me many times before is that you learn the skills in lab and then you get to the hospital and the equipment is completely different and sometimes unrecognizable and you are completely lost as if you've never even practiced or been taught the skill before. Or another example is learning how to choose IV tubing by calculating and then come to find out that hospitals almost always use a one-size-fit's-all. Don't worry about it! I could be wrong about this but my theory is that you will learn the most when you're already graduated and working. Good luck, keep your head up!

[Bec717]

Here is another link for skills videos

http://deptets.fvtc.edu/nursing/index.htm

[BrandiBooh]

Remember that you are a newbie, and that MANY students graduate feeling the same way you feel right now (that they have not performed a lot of the skills). Don't feel discouraged, YOU WILL GET TO DO STUFF--and they are not going to expect you to do all your skills the first semester of clinical, TRUST ME..you may be lucky enough to change a foley/pass meds j/k--well, sort of :chuckle

[hikernurse]

Doing labs help with the mechanics of procedures, but they're nothing like doing it on a real person.

The other posters are right; there is absolutely nothing wrong with asking for help. Even well-experienced nurses run across things that are new or that they haven't done in years, so you won't be alone. I say something like this, "I haven't done this in a while (or at all); would you mind walking me through it?" Most nurses will give you a crash course outside the patients door and then come with you and watch and help.

A lot of stuff we do makes more sense when you start doing them clinically. I remember reading how to make a bed when I was in Fundamentals. I think it had something like 50 steps but IRL, not so tough .

[locolorenzo22, BSN, RN]

in your first clinical...you generally have NOOOO clue what you're doing.

By the last...you could do em in your sleep.

On the first job...it's clinicals all over again, as your preceptor has to sign off that you know what you're doing.