Stupid things your school does/did

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Re: What age were you when you went to nursing school?

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Originally Posted by GraceNotes viewpost.gif

(I'll try this post again.) I am so apprehensive about nursing school! I am 51 and will graduate with a BSN in 2009 (starting in January, like you). We are expected to disrobe for male & female classmates to practice exams. Does your program do this?? I guess we'll see it all anyway, but doing this at my age is enough of a challenge...

Sounds stressful I'm 50 and have been in construction so I am in great shape. None-the-less I would be uncomfortable disrobing in front of the people I share so many other things with. Your school should think about hiring an artists model or get a volunteer an pay them with a professional massage or something. It seems as perhaps they are trying to get you to understand the being a patientaspect of our field. Their exercise,however, does not duplicate the true environmnet. There is no anonimity in this surender of trust. Sounds like your school or your instructor is out of touch.

This sounds like a good separate thread!

Oh, by the way I am 50 and just started LPN gragiate in a year.

so drakken I'm trying to picture this, were these speculum or digital

Digital, yes finger in the bootay

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I'm going to have to ban your field Doc from the dorm

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Specializes in Emergency.

We were expected to wear tank tops & boxers/shorts, and do the assessments on each other. No actual showing of any intimate body parts. We were shown a video on breast examinations, and asked to practice on ourselves, but it was never further discussed. Thankfully my school never made us strip down.....I totally would not have appreciated that with my classmates.

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If people are okay with stripping down or want to volunteer that's fair and fine. I however would refuse to strip down in front of classmates. I would be much too uncomfortable to do that on several different levels. I don't see how they could force you to do so or even threaten failure of the class. Could you imagine the court case?! lol

What about being weighed in front of classmates or a blood pressure assessment?! I am very private and wouldn't want to share any of this personal medical info. Do they ask for this info during your school physical or does the MD just state you are okay to be involved in the program?!

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Specializes in Pediatrics.

We did practice our assessment skills on each other, but we had one partner that we used the whole semester. We also were in private cubicles so I only saw my partner in her bra not the whole class. We did the breast exam on a dummy. We also only practiced injections and IVs in a rubber arm, not on each other.

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This thread has me scared to death. Should I call potential schools to check what their procedures are?!

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It's up to you. Personally I would rather go through the stress and humiliation and start right away than get on a 2 year waiting list

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Specializes in Critical Care, Pediatrics, Geriatrics.
This thread has me scared to death. Should I call potential schools to check what their procedures are?!

I agree that it is really up to you. Like I said, I don't agree with the practice but if it came down to choosing to be embarassed/uncomfortable for a brief period and getting my degree...then hands down, I would have sucked it up and gone along with the school's policy.

However, from other's experiences and testimonials in similar threads...not everyone has the ability to do this. Some people would rather quit than be placed in such an uncomfortable position. If you feel you are one of these types, then absolutely call and find out ahead of time before you find yourself in the program and having to make that decision. And don't let anyone make you feel silly for doing so...we all have our own individual comfort zones.

I feel so bad for the person who said they had to do this after giving birth just 8 weeks ago. I CAN tell you that I would not have done it, I would have quit. The changes your body undergoes during pregnancy can be distressing, and it is extremely personal. My sister just gave birth and she has horrible stretch marks on her tummy, to the point she does not even want her husband to look at her yet. She cries about it. She loves her child, and states that he was worth it, but she is still upset and uncomfortable with the changes in her body. If I was in my sister's position, and someone told me that I either had to disrobe in front of my classmate(s) or fail because otherwise I would not be able to 'empathize' with my patients...I would tell them to shove it where the sun doesn't shine! Does that mean I would not make a good nurse? No, it means I am not comfortable in that situation...and that's all it means. That's why I don't agree with it.

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I agree that it is really up to you. Like I said, I don't agree with the practice but if it came down to choosing to be embarassed/uncomfortable for a brief period and getting my degree...then hands down, I would have sucked it up and gone along with the school's policy.

However, from other's experiences and testimonials in similar threads...not everyone has the ability to do this. Some people would rather quit than be placed in such an uncomfortable position. If you feel you are one of these types, then absolutely call and find out ahead of time before you find yourself in the program and having to make that decision. And don't let anyone make you feel silly for doing so...we all have our own individual comfort zones.

I feel so bad for the person who said they had to do this after giving birth just 8 weeks ago. I CAN tell you that I would not have done it, I would have quit. The changes your body undergoes during pregnancy can be distressing, and it is extremely personal. My sister just gave birth and she has horrible stretch marks on her tummy, to the point she does not even want her husband to look at her yet. She cries about it. She loves her child, and states that he was worth it, but she is still upset and uncomfortable with the changes in her body. If I was in my sister's position, and someone told me that I either had to disrobe in front of my classmate(s) or fail because otherwise I would not be able to 'empathize' with my patients...I would tell them to shove it where the sun doesn't shine! Does that mean I would not make a good nurse? No, it means I am not comfortable in that situation...and that's all it means. That's why I don't agree with it.

Thanks for the advice. I will call and see what they say. How do I word it?! Do I ask what their policy is in regards to clinical assessments in class?! I don't think they would have the right to fail someone for saying no to any procedure as patients have that right and we would be acting as patients.

I would also think they run a big liability risk in regards to practicing IV, etc.

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I agree that it is really up to you.... Does that mean I would not make a good nurse? No, it means I am not comfortable in that situation...and that's all it means. That's why I don't agree with it.

This probably means you WOULD make a good nurse. Nursing is about taking care of the whole being.

Batman You deffinately want to know before you invest the time and the money.

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Specializes in Developmental Disabilities, LTC.

Come to think of it, nobody in our program even objected to the stripping. It was just this weird thing that we really didn't talk about. We were also in enclosed cubicles & whoever was examining you was docked big points for not providing privacy.

Don't let this thread scare you - I'd be willing to bet that if anyone in my program did object to this type of "exam" that the instructors would have worked something out with them. Who knows? Maybe some students did have a problem with it & were able to take their test a different way.

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Flat out ask if there is any undressed or semi-undressed examinations between students. Try and get into a school with a good clinical (off-site) program.

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