Practicing skills over the summer?

[Unknown member]

Hi everyone!

I am happy to say I am entering my senior year of nursing school this fall (2-yr ADN program).

I am a little nervous and feel as though I have forgotten alot of important information! This makes me feel like how am I going to pass the NCLEX if I can't even retain basic nursing knowledge?

Well anyways, my real question is regarding practicing skills over the summer. A week before class starts, we have to go to the lab and perform any random skill we've learned from memory and in a certain time. My question is, do student nurses practice skills over the summer in order to better be prepared for the following year? I find this difficult because if I mess something up, no one is there to correct me and obviously, I cannot practice things that require bodies! :) I do plan to review any procedures that I am supposed to know.

[yesicandothis]

I'm also going to be a senior this fall and I did not get an internship, so I bought a B/P cuff and have been practicing full body assessment and B/P when I can and am going to start just going over skills and body systems with my books. Did you get an internship?

[Unknown member]

To be honest, I did not try to get an internship. I had to take a summer course 2 days a week and I also work part-time. My program is seriously demanding and I was worried about looking for a job during school and committing to certain hours. I currently work in the office at an IV company and make good money so I wasn't willing to leave.

I just recently started applying for LNA jobs. I feel as though the only way I'll get a job as an RN when I graduate is if I already have my foot in the door somewhere. I have a B/P cuff as well, but I wasn't really talking about head-to-toe assessments or VS when I said "practicing skills". I was talking more about catheter insertions, injections, wound care, etc...things that are quite difficult without a real patient body. My boyfriend refuses to be my Sim Man for foleys haha