nursing students as guinea pigs?

[kats]

I have been reading a novel by an author named P.D. James. It is called "Shroud for a Nightengale." It is a mystery that takes place in a nursing school in England. The first person murdered is a student that is pretending to be a patient for a demonstration. They insert a gastric tube into her and give her warm milk. Unfortunately, it also apparently has poison in it too that someone put into the milk. I know that nursing students have to practice giving shots, drawing blood, taking temperatures, bps, pulse, etc. on one another. I was just wondering if you really have to actually have a gastric tube inserted as well. I really hope not. That would not be pleasant at all, even without the poison. I was also wondering what other uncomfortable procedures if any, nursing students have to endure. I figure it would be better to know than to spend the next year worrying about the unknown. Thanks in advance for sharing your experiences.

Kimberly

[subec]

I think it depends on your school. We don't practice anything (other than assessment) on each other. It is against our school's policy to practice an invasive procedure on each other.

Once we learn a skill in lab(on a dummy), then we can do that skill on a patient in the hospital.

Good luck to you!!!

[KRVRN, BSN, RN]

Other than taking V/S or doing assessments, the only things we did on each other were inserting IV's. Injections were practiced on raw chicken thighs. NG's and foleys were practiced on dummies. Our assessments didn't include breast or genital exams.

[Ortho_RN]

We did injections and IVs... One of our instructors said when she was in school they had to pass NG tubes on each other.. NO WAY :)

[vaughanmk]

First off, I would talk to your professors about what exactly they have in plan for you (not to sound sadistic).

Personally besides assessment we gave eachother TB shots. Otherwise we had to wait to try things on patients (including 1st IV's of a lifetime on a real live sick person)

[EmeraldNYL, BSN, RN]

The only thing we are allowed to do on each other are assessments, nothing invasive. Everything else we practice on patients, except for IV's, which we aren't even allowed to do at all. Personally, I would feel much more prepared if I could practice these skills on other students first.

[SueBDoo]

The only thing we got to do to each other was to practice a head to toe assessment, minus breasts and genitals. we also used dummies to do everything else on. I would prefer to start IVs on each other, I dont believe that you can get good practice finding a vein on a dummy.

Sue LPN

4th out of 5 semesters for the big RN

[leslieRN2B]

My clinical skills instructor said that in the past they did have the students practice things on each other, but new OSHA regulations put a stop to that...thank goodness...lol..

[Gromit]

When I took paramedics, we practiced starting IVs on each other, but in nursing school, we did EVERYTHING (except assessments and vitals) on dummies.

I'm with Lesliern2b on this one, thank goodness they stopped practicing on each other.

[kats]

Thank you. I was hoping that was just something that took place in the past. I would have done it if it was required because I really want to be a nurse, but I was not happy about the idea. Thank you for putting my mind at rest.

Kimberly

[Love-A-Nurse]

no, no insertion of an ng tube on our fellow classmates.

[memphispanda, RN]

We only did a head to toe assessment on each other--no breasts or genitals though. We will be doing no invasive procedures on each other. We practice on dummies then do it on a patient when the chance arises. I thought that our instructors said it had to do with accreditation, but OSHA makes sense too. Whatever the case, I would be highly upset if a student nurse had to attempt to start their first IV on me. Heck--the people at the blood bank can't stick me, I seriously doubt a SN could.