silly nursing question, hope u can answer it...

[ErinDel]

Okay I am starting nursing school sept 2010 and I have heard, not sure I believe this but... do we as students practice inserting nasogastric tubes into eachothers noses or just work on simulator dummys for that? I know this is a silly ques. But I am curious and a bit freaked out about having it done on me. Also, how far into your nursing clinicals do u start practicing this? Please respond if ya don't mind. Any tips on how to perform procedure is welcome too. I have a baseline idea on how it can be done, I saw my mom get one in the hospital and the nurse walked through the steps for it. Thanks.

[lornasrn]

Hi, I graduated in 1985 from nursing school and we did do NG tubes but only on the people that volunteered. We did practice SQ and IM injections and started IV's on each other. I personally passed out then no one would touch me. I do believe that is no longer allowed. Someone probably sued. We did not put foleys in each other. We did it on patients. The above description of how to put in a NG was excellent. It is not hard and gives the patient a great deal of relief. You will do great. Good luck with school!

[LoveMyBugs, BSN, CNA, RN]

Just finished my 1st year, and we gave each other bed bathes while wear shorts and tank tops, we also gave each other IM, SubQ and intradermal injections using normal salineBy the end of our second term there was an optional lab for the NG tube. If you wanted to place a tube you had to be willing to have a tube placed in you. I went and watched, but decided that I did not want a tube placed and it was totally fine with my instructor that I did not place a tube, no pressure. They wouldn't let us practice on other students untill we could demonstrate on a dummy first.

[khellard]

I'm in Kentucky and we had to give each other bed baths and we had to give injections to each other, but that was about the extent of it. I'm sure it depends on the nursing school, because each is different in what they incorporate in their program. So unfortunately it is a possibility.

[nursel56]

I graduated in 1975, have never heard of any students inserting Foleys on each other. Vitals, bed baths only. Also venipuncture in blood withdrawal class.

I think the Foley thing is probably an urban legend.

[Bortaz, MSN, RN]

We practice using a dummy!

That's no way to talk about your classmates. :)

[NurseKatie08, MSN]

The only thing we practiced on each other was SC injections--and even THAT was a little much for me. We didn't start IVs at all in our program--as a matter of fact, I didn't learn that until I was working as an RN (however, I work subacute, so MOST patients requiring IV access come in with PICCs already placed)...we did Foleys, NGTs etc on patients after being passed off on doing it on the dummy first.

[kkluczynski]

Practice on a dummy...and we did the bed bath thing with another student of course with shorts and a t shirt on and that was the most 'up close and personal' we got.

[RNKPCE]

I graduated over 20 years ago. The nursing class before me was in the skills lab while we were. They were practicing NG tube, if you wanted to put one down a fellow student you had to have one put down you. All of a sudden there was a commotion around one of the beds. The students tongue occluded her airway when the tube was either being pulled in or pulled out. She was blue, 911 was called, by repositioning her head the airway was unblocked but boy were the paramedics surprised to walk into a skills lab with 6 hopsital beds. After that episode the school never let students put NG's in each other.

We did IV's on each other but same thing you had to volunteer to have one done on yourself if you wanted to do one.

[cherrybreeze, ADN, RN]

Evidence-based practice shows that only a positive KUB proves NGT placement. There are a couple cases of patients having NGT placed, + air bolus/pH test documented and then the NGT was found in the brain or lungs.

Have you got any links to info on these cases? I have a really hard time grasping that everything would look ok (and those common standards....pH and air bolus....be normal) and have the NG be in the lungs, and especially the BRAIN.

[pinksugar]

The only things we practiced on each other were taking pulses and manual blood pressures.

[mazzy6311]

Hi, I am a new nurse (grad may 08) and only working 3 months. We never had to do NG tubes to eachother. We never even practiced on a dummy. Good luck to you in nursing school and in the future.

[Up2nogood RN, RN]

We did have the oppurtunity to place an NGT down a fellow student as long as we were willing to have the same done. I did choose to do it b/c I wanted to know how it felt. Yes, it was dreadful but I have a little more compassion for my pts when they have or I have to place an NGT. We never did bed baths on each other though, that's a little creepy!