What have you learned in nursing school that was utter nonsense?

Ayvah, RN · Mar 28, 2016

Disturbed energy field. We talked in class about how ridiculous it was as we were learning about it.

BonnieSc · Mar 28, 2016

Sterile dressing changes... it's not bad to know sterile technique but it's sure not done anymore in the vast majority of cases.

ArtClassRN, don't worry, after a short amount of time you'll discover you also were taught things that are no longer found to be true, no matter how good your program was. It's the nature of working in healthcare. In the majority of these situations, our teachers were doing the best they could with the information available.

It's hard to let go of practices because it means admitting that at one time, without knowing it, we were doing more harm than good--even if that harm was just wasting time and money (like with sterile dressing changes).

whichone'spink, BSN, RN · Mar 28, 2016

-Therapeutic communication. It just sounds unnatural, and contrived. Patients can see through that.

-Care planning, as it is taught in nursing school. Yes it's true we need a nursing taxonomy system, but NANDA, NIC and NOC need a reworking.

MYSTICOOKIEBEAR · Mar 28, 2016

Broncophony and making the patient say "99" :sarcastic:

Jensmom7, BSN, RN · Mar 28, 2016

Remember, this was mid 70s.

Complete bed rest for back pain.

Heat lamps to dry up draining wounds (Sometimes those wound beds looked like cracked desert). I cringe now thinking about how much unnecessary pain we caused back in the day.

flying_ace2 · Mar 28, 2016

Nonesense and outdated - making nursing diagnoses!

Could not agree more!!!!

flying_ace2 · Mar 28, 2016

Had an instructor that was completely preoccupied with the way we made beds. I'm talking slightly obsessed with bed making technique. Don't get me wrong, I personally enjoy a neatly made bed, but I'm not gonna talk about nothing else but that for a week during our skills lab....

AlabamaBelle · Mar 28, 2016

Reality orientation for very demented patients does not work. If the 89-year-old lady thinks it is 1988, and her long-deceased husband is still alive, and Ronald Reagan is the president, it is better to allow her to think these things.
Telling her it is 2016, and her husband's been dead since 1995, and Ronald Reagan's been dead since 2004 is unlikely to be therapeutic or go very well.

I think this is top of the list! I was always uncomfortable with this particular aspect. My previous experience was with children. Now that I work with a large population of older adults with dementia, I know that this is NOT a good practice in reality. The amount of confusion that results from attempts to re-orient to a reality that the patient might not care for is just cruel.

Farawyn · Mar 28, 2016

"Massage bony prominences."

Giving up your seat to the doctor.

No tattoos.

joe a. · Mar 31, 2016

I must strongly disagree. The goal of reality orientation is not to convince a patient with dementia of what the reality is. That would be cruel. The goal of a reality orientation group is to have fun. To engage a small group of patients, psych or dementia, and explore their reality. On ocassion, albeit rarely, something is shared that puts a real smile on their face. It has been my experience that no matter how "out there" someone may be, deep in the windmill of their mind, there exist a real moment. Sould that moment return, for just a second, reality orientation took place. The coffee and cookies are a plus s well. Joe a. retired psych nurse.

vandiola · Mar 31, 2016

Making a hospital corner isn't actually that important

Rocknurse, MSN, APRN, NP · Mar 31, 2016

My entire Nursing Theory class. I thought I was the victim of an elaborate joke and kept side-eying people to let me in on it. It was like The Emperor's New Clothes. I literally made it up as I went along...and got an A. I would have spent time learning some actual science, but no....