Skills Testing

Updated:   Published

  1. IS skills testing a waste of time?

    • 6
      yes
    • 16
      no
    • 4
      depends

26 members have participated

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Is skills testing a waste of time?

Specializes in Maternal-Child, Women's Health.

AACN's revised Essentials (April 2021) document reflects competencies that will allow us to "bridge the gap between education and practice" (AACN, p.1). Furthermore, Stakeholders expect all nursing graduates to exit their education programs with defined and observable skills and knowledge" (AACN. p. 5). 

That last statement is being interpreted by nurse educators and hospitals as meaning that everyone will be on the same page with what KSAs nursing graduate possess. That is what I'm referring to as "specific".

After over 30+ years of enduring  and conducting various accreditation site visits and serving as a site visitor,  I, too, understand nursing program accreditation. I stand by my original precis that "competencies are specific to content". We shall agree to disagree here. 

In response to your query regarding a specific state nursing curricula, no I was not referring to anything of that sort in my post. 

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Specializes in CEN, Firefighter/Paramedic.
5 hours ago, londonflo said:

May be you learned from these checkoffs" How would YOU hold a syringe besides  your thumb and forefinger of the dominate hand? Please clue me in what you feel are actions that are not part of the process... Perhaps take the cap off the syringe off with your teeth? 

Those are fluff steps that don't need to be there for final skills checkoff days.

I'm not even sure why we're still debating this.  Do you really think there are 43 steps to giving an IM injection, or are you just arguing to argue?

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Specializes in oncology.
On 4/5/2022 at 5:00 PM, FiremedicMike said:

Those are fluff steps that don't need to be there for final skills checkoff days.

I'm not even sure why we're still debating this.  Do you really think there are 43 steps to giving an IM injection, or are you just arguing to argue?

We are still discussing this (not arguing) because you made a post. The 43 steps are because when writing behavioral objectives (actions by student) you can only measure one thing at a time. 

I will ask you again --- what "fluff" would you eliminate. Tell me. You throw that word around but it has no meaning without an example. 

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Specializes in CEN, Firefighter/Paramedic.
10 hours ago, londonflo said:

We are still discussing this (not arguing) because you made a post. The 43 steps are because when writing behavioral objectives (actions by student) you can only measure one thing at a time. 

I will ask you again --- what "fluff" would you eliminate. Tell me. You throw that word around but it has no meaning without an example. 

I gave you examples and explained my rationale, repeatedly.  You are choosing to ignore them, so I reckon we’re done here.

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Specializes in oncology.

You like to criticize your nursing program (differences to emergency medicine) and don't like questions asking for more information or rebuttal and want to close the discussion. You posted...

Quote

Nursing skills on the other hand are subjective.  Sure they have these “checklists”, but they are very long and about 75% fluff and not even utilized while the instructor is checking you off.  I tried in two different classes to establish “what exactly do I need to do or avoid to pass this skill” and have never been given an actual answer, essentially dismissed as “we’ll know it when we see it”.

Your checklists were in your books you said. Think of it as a procedure manual. You cannot create your own ways of doing things. I am still looking for the 75% fluff citation from you. I believe you provided two examples (of the 43 you felt were onerous) one was about holding a syringe between your thumb and first finger prior to puncturing the skin for an IM and another holding a gauze to put pressure on the puncture site.  This is fluff? 

On 4/5/2022 at 5:00 PM, FiremedicMike said:

I'm not even sure why we're still debating this. 

I do understand and appreciate you are graduating this Spring from ADN program. I am sure you have a lot to do.   But when you enter into a discussion, it is give and take on both sides. You cannot just shut it off when you don't want to respond with the rationale behind your statements.

The steps are created to help all students (independent of their previous work role, education and experience as a MA) and level the playing field. 

 

 

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Specializes in CEN, Firefighter/Paramedic.
2 hours ago, londonflo said:

You like to criticize your nursing program (differences to emergency medicine) and don't like questions asking for more information or rebuttal and want to close the discussion. You posted...

Your checklists were in your books you said. Think of it as a procedure manual. You cannot create your own ways of doing things. I am still looking for the 75% fluff citation from you. I believe you provided two examples (of the 43 you felt were onerous) one was about holding a syringe between your thumb and first finger prior to puncturing the skin for an IM and another holding a gauze to put pressure on the puncture site.  This is fluff? 

I do understand and appreciate you are graduating this Spring from ADN program. I am sure you have a lot to do.   But when you enter into a discussion, it is give and take on both sides. You cannot just shut it off when you don't want to respond with the rationale behind your statements.

The steps are created to help all students (independent of their previous work role, education and experience as a MA) and level the playing field. 

 

 

You refuse to acknowledge that the two examples I provided were useless fluff for a final skills check off sheet (which has been my point from the very beginning), so I’m not going to waste my time itemizing the entire list because evidence would suggest you will either misread my points to fit your argument as you just did, or just outright ignore my points and move the goalposts anyway.

My desire to exit this conversation has nothing to do with my workload in nursing school or my inability to give and take as you so patronizingly stated, but rather my realization that talking to a brick wall is not a good use of my time.

I am in agreement with Sue, you and I will have to agree to disagree.

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