PBDS casualty

KaroSnowQueen, RN · Aug 11, 2004

Please, excuse my ignorance, but what is PBDS?????????

Tweety, BSN, RN · Aug 11, 2004

Sounds scarey whatever it is. Good luck.

RNPATL, DNP, RN · Aug 11, 2004

Please, excuse my ignorance, but what is PBDS?????????

I am with you ... what is PBDS?

ring4tx · Aug 12, 2004

Please, excuse my ignorance, but what is PBDS?????????

Click on the tab at the top of the home page for Nursing Discussions, then click on Nursing Educators and scroll down to Performance Based Developmental Systems. You'll see that it's the latest "virus" to hit nurses.

I probably posted this to the wrong thread. Sorry, I'm new to this and am learning how to use it.

Trauma Columnist · Aug 12, 2004

We do use PBDS in the orientation period - however, it is not pass or fail, but rather a tool for our educators to use to make a more individual orientation.

Tweety, BSN, RN · Aug 12, 2004

Thanks for the clarification. Good luck in what you do.

nrlevart · Aug 23, 2004

:imbar I am a recent casualty of PBDS. This is an insane way of getting rid of good nurses with valuable experience! Why weren't we in formed that this part of orientation was "do or die"? They said it's not supposed to be used as a means to get rid of any one, but after I failed the initial test, I became scrutinized. The nurses that were my preceptors were no help at all. I was told that if I chose to take the re-test and failed, that I would be "black-balled" as a nurse.
I used my nursing books for reference as well as my Internship notebook as tools to fill out the scenarios and was told it wasn't good enough. When I filled those out, I wrote on front and back and literally wrote a book on the darned thing.
I've had nothing but good things said about me during my whole medical career.
And now, suddenly it's implied that I'm "not up to their standards". So, I find myself in the job market again and I'm sure PBDS will raise it's ugly head. At least this time, I'm more prepared for it.

Why do you think you didn't pass the test?? What kinds of things do you think they were looking for that you didn't include?? Have to take the test soon and am kinda freaking out about it??

caroladybelle, BSN, RN · Aug 23, 2004

And now, suddenly it's implied that I'm "not up to their standards". So, I find myself in the job market again and I'm sure PBDS will raise it's ugly head. At least this time, I'm more prepared for it.

In 11 years, I have yet to deal with PBDS. So I doubt if every hospital uses it.

Any hospital that would "blackball" someone on the basis of one test, is probably not one that I would want to work for. So not working there is probably a good thing.

mattsmom81 · Aug 23, 2004

I am glad to hear nurses discussing this testing format. I ran into it once, and found it to be nurse unfriendly with too narow a margin of correct responses, presenting vague vignettes and situations with little room for variance in answering. If the answer isn't worded perfectly in the absolute 'correct order' it is 'wrong' . My many years in critical care have taught me there is never only one correct way to accomplish something. The 'my way or the highway' approach is a slap in the face to flexible, free thinking nurses, and discounts experience over parrotlike , reheorificed responses. IMO it demonstrates ANTI critical thinking model.

I went through this testing once and found new nurses who had weathered this format in school did better than those of us who were experienced yet uncertain exactly what the test wanted. The HR director gave the test, thus we were unable to clarify exactly 'what' they wanted. Then the test results were given to educators and administrators so they could (in panel format) put the nurse in the hotseat and tear the nurse apart. I got the distinct feeling I could be fired by the panel if my followup responses weren't what they wanted. I don't understand this type of orientation myself...why tear down people??? and why would nurses want to work somewhere where they do this?

I've been asked to do agency at a facility where they make agency go through PBDS...but I'm not sure if I want to put myself through that thing again...LOL!

RN4NICU, LPN, LVN · Aug 23, 2004

What a load of hooey! Nurses are not robots, for heavens' sake. We wouldn't be worth as much if we were. I agree with the poster who commented that it is ANTI-critical thinking to expect nurses to parrot out "perfect" answers to ridiculous scenarios. Critical thinking is 99% of being an effective nurse. It can determine whether a patient suffers a poor outcome, or lives at all, for that matter. The critical thinking nurse realizes that patients are not robots either - what works for this patient may be totally ineffective for another.

I also agree with those who have said they would have reservations about working in a place that used such a load of hooey to evaluate its nurses.

PBDS - Bah! Pbbbbbtttt!!!! Boo!! Hisss!!!!!

jeepgirl, LPN, NP · Aug 24, 2004

we use PBDS. while i did very well on it, i am a new nurse. we have found a lot of more experienced RN's had a harder time with it.

on PBDS, my biggest thing is they want you to anticipate the medical stuff... like diagnosis, labs you'd order, ect.

they said it is to be used as an orientation tool... which areas are weak, ect