Nursing Foundations Lab

My first semester schedule includes a lab to go along with my Nursing Foundations class. I have been told that this is time for us to practice skills on each other. The biggest thing that came to mind when they told me that was practicing IV's, venipunctures, and maybe shots.

Not to sound stupid but could some of you upper level students explain what kind of things will we be "practicing" on each other?

Terence

[LadyT618, MSN, APRN, NP]

I just finished my first semester of nursing school and my school has the same kind of lab. I was concerned when it came to practicing injections. Well, when it came time to practice, they had these pouches full of water or some type of liquid to "practice" with. As you are probably thinking, that didn't help much. However, some students opted to get the free flu vaccine they were offering, so many students gave vaccines to each other; so some students got practice before clinicals started. Most students however got their first stab (no pun intended) in their clinicals, including myself. It really wasn't that bad. I just hope you have a great clinical instructor and just plain have confidence in yourself. The only type I have given so far is SC (one for heparin and one for interferon-beta).

I don't know how other schools practice. I believe years ago, my school used to practice on the students with normal saline, but they stopped recently.

I'm interested to hear what other schools do.

Toni

[mitchsmom]

In my BSN program we don't do clinicals the first semester and in Assessment lab we didn't address anything with needles. They told us it would be next semester in clinicals.

[FarmgrrlRN]

Other skills include: bed baths, pt positioning, pt transfer, foley caths, assessment skills (ie we did neuro, cardiac, peripheral vascular and more), vitals as well as injections. Basically, everything we needed to pass our practicums. I freaked out before each of my practicums, thinking "i can't do this, I'm gonna fail!". Each time I passed w/ no problem. My first injection was SC, then the next week I gave a SC insulin and an IM morphine/phenergan. By the second week, I was fine! Your instructor will pretty much walk you step by step, as they will NOT let you mess up! (Of course, be prepared but they expect you to be nervous).

[Mandylpn]

I am in an LPN program; we did not learn venipuncture. And only how to disconnect an IV. We learned injections on a pad thing with gel in it. Also finger sticks for blood sugars and we did those on each other. Let's see, catheters, enemas, trach suctioning, etc on the dummy. don't worry about those!

[WV_heart_RN]

I just finished my first semester too. We didn't get to work with injections but I have seen what the second year students are doing. They have a fake arm to learn how to put in the IV's in our labs. Hope it helps!!

[PennyLane, RN]

I just finished my first semester of a BSN program. Our school has these fancy-schmancy mannekins that we practiced injections on. They are also able to be cathed, suctioned, some have wounds, jp drains, etc. As far as IVs, our school doesn't teach us how to start them, just how to initiate IV therapy once the line is in. Apparently this is something we'll have to "pick up" along the way on our own.

Later on in the program we'll be working with this one mannekin who gives birth! (This is in addition to our regular clinicals, of course)