I failed my bed making test yesterday and I'm so down.
I know how to make a bed, I just broke down. I went first and my instructor gave us no guidance. This was only our second test of the term (first term) and she gave me no instruction on how to test would go. I kept turning to her and asking where things went.
For example I had my dirty linens and I said where is the laundry? (there was no saying this is where dirty laundry goes) she just shrugged her shoulders and said you are the nurse. So I put them on a side table and I said this is my dirty area. She said "how many tables to do you have?" and then at the end of the lab she said "you never took your dirty linen out" and I assisted my 'patient' to a chair and then made my unoccupied bed and she said I never talked to my patient, but she never said that my patient was in the room or that I should be talking to her. Like not even during the test she never said that even when she was teaching us.
I'm just so frustrated and I don't want to get on her bad side but I feel lost and she isn't giving enough instruction. I feel like a big failure.
So, any tips for dealing with this/passing lab tests?
**Also I went first so I had assumed that she would give a little instruction, the people who went next benefited from seeing my mistakes! it bothered me so much.
***The next students she told where the dirty laundry area was!!! That bothered me!! It's like she wanted me to fail.
We had to watch a video on bedmaking. Its not one of our skills that we have to check off on though. But for future checkoffs, do you have lab practice time and are instructors available during lab? I love my program because we have so many resources available. We have an optional class where we are shown the skill, there are videos with our lab instructor going over all the steps as well as ATI videos. There's always an instructor in the lab that you can ask questions to. I do a run through with one of them - a practice check off so to speak before my actual checkoff. That way I know what I'm doing right and what I'm doing wrong. On checkoff day, If something is not clear, they do allow as to ask questions before we begin. Once we start though, we can't ask any more questions.
I keep coming back to this thread. I am dumbfounded that bed making is an enforced skill in college. I'd be seriously irritated if my (second) bachelor's degree included a grade on linen handling. We generally lay all the sheets and blanket on the bed, lift up the foot of the matress, cram a little underneath, and go on about our way.
Now, I'm not trying to cause offense or be rude, but this is why I strongly believe that every NS should require their students to at least get their CNA before going into the program...and possibly even work as one for a few months.
My program requires you to take the CNA class, but you don't have to get certified and you don't have to work as one. Taking the class helps somewhat, but the real life skills help the best. Only about half of the students in my class have worked as CNAs and clinicals and lab are much easier for us than for those without experience.
Try practicing skills at home or if the lab has open hours. Maybe get your CNA and work a couple hours on the weekends. Maybe your instructor didn't understand what you were asking of her - maybe she thought you wanted her to tell you what to do, not just give you some instruction - I would talk to her in private and explain what was going on. Instructors get stressed out too - and skill check off days are pretty stressful for them as well. For the most part, instructors don't like to fail students - they see it as a mark against themselves, like they didn't teach you well enough or you didn't understand what they were teaching you. Chances are, she wanted you to succeed, there was probably just a miscommunication somewhere. Or, maybe, from seeing you perform the skill in lab she thought you were better than that and expected more from you. Just talk to her and see what she tells you.
Now, I'm not trying to cause offense or be rude, but this is why I strongly believe that every NS should require their students to at least get their CNA before going into the program...and possibly even work as one for a few months.
My program requires you to take the CNA class, but you don't have to get certified and you don't have to work as one. Taking the class helps somewhat, but the real life skills help the best. Only about half of the students in my class have worked as CNAs and clinicals and lab are much easier for us than for those without experience.
Try practicing skills at home or if the lab has open hours. Maybe get your CNA and work a couple hours on the weekends. Maybe your instructor didn't understand what you were asking of her - maybe she thought you wanted her to tell you what to do, not just give you some instruction - I would talk to her in private and explain what was going on. Instructors get stressed out too - and skill check off days are pretty stressful for them as well. For the most part, instructors don't like to fail students - they see it as a mark against themselves, like they didn't teach you well enough or you didn't understand what they were teaching you. Chances are, she wanted you to succeed, there was probably just a miscommunication somewhere. Or, maybe, from seeing you perform the skill in lab she thought you were better than that and expected more from you. Just talk to her and see what she tells you.
I don't see any CNAs doing things the nursing school way. They don't wash bodies the same way the video did nor change sheets the same way the video did. If you did it everyday you probably wouldn't either, lol.
I keep coming back to this thread. I am dumbfounded that bed making is an enforced skill in college. I'd be seriously irritated if my (second) bachelor's degree included a grade on linen handling. We generally lay all the sheets and blanket on the bed, lift up the foot of the matress, cram a little underneath, and go on about our way.
I know! I wonder why students in these programs think that's OK, and better yet don't question the teachers about what other much more useful things they could be learning. I know you have to be able to make a bed, but come on!
I don't see any CNAs doing things the nursing school way. They don't wash bodies the same way the video did nor change sheets the same way the video did. If you did it everyday you probably wouldn't either, lol.
Nurses don't do things the nursing school way, either. There have been tons of times I've seen nurses changing dressings, wiping poo, and other things without gloves - they wash their hands before and after, but still. And most of them have forgotten the pharmacological actions of the drugs they're giving. They also don't perform their assessments like we learn them - many omit a couple things, if they're not pertinent to the patient. Hell, some nurses still massage the site where they give enoxaparin or insulin.
As for bathing - as long as the body is washed from clean areas to dirty areas and the wash cloths are changed often and dirty ones aren't used elsewhere, I don't see what the big deal is. I've worked at many different facilities and they all like things done differently - some places want you to use the bathing wipes from the warmer, others want a basin with wash cloths, others would prefer you don't give a bed bath unless the patient is unable to move at all. The way skills are learned in class or school aren't always made to be used that way in the real world. My instructor taught us about 3 different ways to do each skill - while maintaining sterile technique for the ones that require it - because some ways are easier for some people. I'm sure once we all get our first nursing job, we won't be doing everything exactly the way it's done in NS. I, for one, will be happy when it doesn't take 15 minutes to pass meds for one patient because my instructor likes to quiz everyone over every possible thing!
Nurses don't do things the nursing school way, either. There have been tons of times I've seen nurses changing dressings, wiping poo, and other things without gloves - they wash their hands before and after, but still. And most of them have forgotten the pharmacological actions of the drugs they're giving. They also don't perform their assessments like we learn them - many omit a couple things, if they're not pertinent to the patient. Hell, some nurses still massage the site where they give enoxaparin or insulin.
As for bathing - as long as the body is washed from clean areas to dirty areas and the wash cloths are changed often and dirty ones aren't used elsewhere, I don't see what the big deal is. I've worked at many different facilities and they all like things done differently - some places want you to use the bathing wipes from the warmer, others want a basin with wash cloths, others would prefer you don't give a bed bath unless the patient is unable to move at all. The way skills are learned in class or school aren't always made to be used that way in the real world. My instructor taught us about 3 different ways to do each skill - while maintaining sterile technique for the ones that require it - because some ways are easier for some people. I'm sure once we all get our first nursing job, we won't be doing everything exactly the way it's done in NS. I, for one, will be happy when it doesn't take 15 minutes to pass meds for one patient because my instructor likes to quiz everyone over every possible thing!
I just wanted to kick dust in the eye of the CNA idea.
I am in a BSN program and our first year fundamentals covers all of these areas - even those that are CNA's have to take this course. While it may seems "silly" that we have to learn skills such as bed making it can be key to proper pt care. Also for those of you that may feel that things such as this is under you as a RN, i hope that you never find yourself without an CNA as in many depts you do not have a CNA and have to know how to do these things properly. With the actual skills, most NS show a few ways, but there are usually many different proper ways to a skill
I just wanted to kick dust in the eye of the CNA idea.
Me too! LOL
Nothing against CNAs, thank goodness this is not a requirement for my program. Anyhoo, 60 students in my program down from 62, 2 failed out already. Guess what, one of them worked as a PT before entering nursing school so go figure?
We have a book of clinical skills, I study the steps in that. Then I go to Youtube. There are tons of videos performing the same skills we have for our checkoffs. They really help!
Youtube was such a blessing to me! I watched videos over and over, and practiced so many different things. For bedmaking I practiced on my own bed, and would even have my husband lie in it (or my poor stuffed teddy bear, who ended up being the recipient of many procedures).
Also, if your teacher is approachable, politely ask how you can do better, or do you need tutoring (your school might have tutoring). She may help you, or send you to be tutored but mostly this goes into showing her you're proactive and not reactive with your learning style.
Mosby also has videos of Beginning, Intermediate and Advanced skills that you can watch and see all the skills demonstrated by actual RN's. I find them very helpful and I can see other techniques to help me refine my own.
At my school, we're not allowed to ask questions during check-off's - they aren't considered "teachable moments." We're expected to act and think just as an RN would. We perform hand hygiene, observe standard precautions, verify patient ID, etc, just as we would in the clinical setting. In short, we treat it as the real deal each time and we have to know our skill inside and out to pass.
Maybe this is what was expected of you, although I would hope you were given adequate instruction and a demonstration beforehand.
mangopeach
916 Posts
We had to watch a video on bedmaking. Its not one of our skills that we have to check off on though. But for future checkoffs, do you have lab practice time and are instructors available during lab? I love my program because we have so many resources available. We have an optional class where we are shown the skill, there are videos with our lab instructor going over all the steps as well as ATI videos. There's always an instructor in the lab that you can ask questions to. I do a run through with one of them - a practice check off so to speak before my actual checkoff. That way I know what I'm doing right and what I'm doing wrong. On checkoff day, If something is not clear, they do allow as to ask questions before we begin. Once we start though, we can't ask any more questions.