What skills do you learn in nursing school?

iteachob, MSN, RN · May 18, 2010

This will depend largely on your school. Different schools (and levels of education....LPN, ADN, BSN, etc) will place emphasis on what they consider to be essential skills. For example, some schools place very little emphasis on enemas as a skill that needs to be learned; the theory of it, yes...the skill, maybe not so much. Some schools teach (and let you actually practice on patients) IV insertion, IV meds, injections, .......others teach how to do it but don't let you actually do it on a patient....saving it for when you are licensed.

Really depends on your school and clinical opportunities....

elkpark · May 19, 2010

I have asked this a few times but I don't think anyone understands what I actually mean. What skills do you learn how to do as a nurse? As in, I know you learn how to bathe someone, do an enema, injections, vital signs, etc. etc. What do you learn how to do?

I think everyone does understand what you mean, but there are far too many individual skills, techniques, and procedures covered in nursing school for anyone to post a comprehensive list here. Is it sufficient to say that you learn a whole lot???? :)

choc0late · May 19, 2010

Let's see what I can recall for ya! My first semester we were tested out on sterile field, sterile dressing changes, wet-dry dressing changes, protective personal equipment, transfers, using O2 tanks, NG tubes, suctioning. On the clinicals we passed meds, hooked up IV's, made beds, bathed patients, that kind of stuff. Is that what you were looking for?