Nudity?

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Hi!

Alright, so I heard from someone that while she was in nursing school she had to strip down, do physical exams and then be naked for the rest of the class! I'm not a nursing student yet, but this scared me. I'm not comfortable with my body and plus there are guys in these classes. I don't know whether to believe it or not. Can anyone tell me if you had to do this? I'm really freaked out.

Thanks!

Specializes in Emergency Dept. Trauma. Pediatrics.
I can't believe such as silly comment about stripping naked in front of classmates merits so many responses. Are you guys serious? To even entertain the banter is so demeaning to the profession. And I'm not even a nurse yet!!!

Why are you joining in again? Sure seems like you are entertaining the banter to me. Just sayin'

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In my lab classes, my instructor never required us to wear anything special on the days we did our assessments. Wait, she did mention -- just make sure we are prepared for lab (clean, shaved, etc.).

She told us to do assessments on each other but we were never required to lift a shirt or anything like that. We can go behind the curtains if we wanted to, but it's our choice. Also, when we had to show her our assessments for her to evaluate us, we did them on mannequins.

I'm glad I had this particular instructor. She never required as to physically check each other out. We always had a choice, and when it came to demonstrating the skills we (hopefully) knew, it was acceptable to do them on the mannequins. Of course, she watched us show her, how we tried to do the pretend assessments on each other. Looking for the apical pulse is awkward. I never did that with any of my lab partners. I did them on our patients though.

By the way, looking for pulses is just tricky! I have a strong pulse, so when people checked me out -- they had no problems at all. The clinical patients we had were kind of a pain in the ***** -- I'm just glad to find a PULSE at times! Oh, a few people in my lab class had weak pulses too. Some of them were still in their '20's, made me think that- they were probably half vampires who walked in the daylight! lol.

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No. . .but I was in nursing school in 1975 (I love telling people that:nurse:). Many of the nursing school urban legends refer to my epoch, and I never heard about any class doing invasive procedures of any kind, or involving breasts or genitalia. I never heard an instructor refer to such a thing (and some of them were pretty old I can tell you!).

So, if you did, please share!

It was one of the most excellent assessment courses, from descriptions i have heard of other schools. However, we did do ALL exams in full. On each other. The "pelvics" were done with the two nursing students and instructor and curtains properly drawn, but.... they were done. Breast exams, whole class viewing, that is whole "clinical" class, approx 12 students per group. I'm quite certain it hasn't been done like that in many many years, but it was then!

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Specializes in LTC, CPR instructor, First aid instructor..
I can't believe such as silly comment about stripping naked in front of classmates merits so many responses. Are you guys serious? To even entertain the banter is so demeaning to the profession. And I'm not even a nurse yet!!!
Hmmmm, curiosity get the best of you?:D
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Specializes in retired from healthcare.

When I was in massage school about twenty years ago, I was in an

un-accredited program and they fully expected me to have breasts exposed

on a massage table in front of my class mates, some of whom I had not learned

to trust and some of who were men.

I was shocked at the insensitivity of the teachers and others in the class.

They almost seemed to think I was obligated to be used for educational

purposes this way and even gave me all negative feedback on the final grade report.

When I complained to the state about this, they sided with the school.

I found an accredited school that sided with me and understood my feelings.

Programs like this are doing exploitation.

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Specializes in retired from healthcare.

When I was in nurses aide training, we were all girls and I remember one day

we learned to do bed baths by taking turns laying in bed.

We had all the curtains closed and I had learned to

like and trust the other girls there. I remember we were told to strip down

to our under clothes. I think we were all braless.

I remember being washed up just like a disabled patient

but I trusted the girl who was doing it. We talked about this at great length

before we actually did it. We were all shared the same attitudes about

privacy.

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Specializes in PeriOp, ICU, PICU, NICU.

Glad I didn't go to some of these schools. At my school, we didn't do any exposing. We did practice bed baths and assessments on each other but fully clothed. I did get to shave my partner (a male) because he volunteered and didn't mind. We would also do dressing changes.

We did peri care, caths, IV's, NG's, dressings, etc on a Sim man.

I don't feel I missed out on anything at school and am comfortable as a nurse today and know I do a great job. No need to be a guinea pig here.

TG!

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Specializes in Peds/outpatient FP,derm,allergy/private duty.
It was one of the most excellent assessment courses, from descriptions i have heard of other schools. However, we did do ALL exams in full. On each other. The "pelvics" were done with the two nursing students and instructor and curtains properly drawn, but.... they were done. Breast exams, whole class viewing, that is whole "clinical" class, approx 12 students per group. I'm quite certain it hasn't been done like that in many many years, but it was then!

Wow- and here I didn't think doing a bi-manual pelvic exam was something even taught to RN students back in the day! A few have mentioned it in their Nurse Midwife studies, but not standard curriculum nursing schools. Now when the subject comes up again here, which it most definately will, I'll say, "Purdue did!" Thanks for the reply. :)

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This was many years ago (15), but actually, we were required to be topless to practice breast exams on each other. We were paired with one other same-sex partner and we both hated every minute of it. I think if I was going through the program now, I would protest stronger and NOT do it. I got over it, and barely remember it now, but it was very anxiety-producing at the time. Good luck and remember they can't make you do anything of that sort--you need to consent to it.

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Ha. Ha. :D

No, No, on the contrary. My issue isn't with nudity. My comment was addressing the context. Not ALL comments but many just seem like silly high-school chit-chat. But who am I to say, I'm not a nurse yet. I'm looking forward to caring for the infirm as best as I can. I'm learning that this culture will include all types of intellect (or lack there of). And perhaps the culture may actually need all types. But like I said, I'm not a nurse yet so maybe I should "zip it".

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Specializes in psychiatric, perioperative, fundamentals.

when i was in nursing school, i used to be the live dummy in our assessment class wherein i was asked to remove my shirt and be a dummy patient for sponge bath for about an hour (imagine our instructor explaining every detail of each procedure). i do not find that wrong because i do have the right to refuse in case i did not want to.

i dont think that your friend was totally naked during the whole class and i think it was done for a very educational prupose. i can also feel that volunteering for a while can help classmates and it is a first hand information if you learn a procedure that was done to yourself.

we also had our IM return demonstrations in our buttocks.'

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Specializes in Community Health.
Ha. Ha. :D

No, No, on the contrary. My issue isn't with nudity. My comment was addressing the context. Not ALL comments but many just seem like silly high-school chit-chat. But who am I to say, I'm not a nurse yet. I'm looking forward to caring for the infirm as best as I can. I'm learning that this culture will include all types of intellect (or lack there of). And perhaps the culture may actually need all types. But like I said, I'm not a nurse yet so maybe I should "zip it".

The issue for me is not that you aren't a nurse yet...it's that you aren't a nurse yet but already seem to be perpetrating the condescending "eat the young" mentality that is so rampant in the nursing culture. Scolding your fellow nurses and making snide remarks about their intellect is childish and does nothing to promote the respect of the profession. JMO.

Now lets get back to the childish high school banter, shall we? :jester:

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