Who hasn't inserted a foley or NG tube yet?

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Just wondering. I start my final semester in about 3 weeks and I still have not done these skills yet. Just never had the chance.

Anyone else in the same boat?

Not yet and I'm in semester 3. We learned on a manequin in the first semester, saw a video, and had a quiz. We are now considered 'trained'. Scary, isn't it?:uhoh3:

Specializes in ER.

I am entering my Senior year, and put a foley in once junior year on a female, but no NG tubes, since at my school they let the Med students drop them... but over the summer I am working in the ER and have done so many foleys I am a pro and dropped 1 NG tube.. if u can get a job in the ER as an extern or something like that I would def recommend it!!!!!!

Specializes in Adolescent Psych, PICU.

I work in an ICU and get to do all sorts of skills every night that I work.....I've done tons of Foleys, NG tubes, blood draws, suctioning, assessments, IVs, central line dressing changes and draws, art lines, etc etc etc. Amazing amazing experience that you don't get in clinicals.

I highly recommend that all nursing students get a job working in a hospital (ICUs and ER are good places to perform lots of skills even as a student) between your junior and senior year. My friend works in an ER right now and they don't allow the students do much of anything but hook up to monitors and transport patients, but the ICU where I work I get to do everything (excepts meds). So it really depends on the unit it seems--so find out what they allow students to do.

Also, if you never get a chance to do some skills before you graduate, don't worry. They are NOT hard after you have done them just once or twice. I mean clinicals are limited and you may not get a chance to perform post mortum care for example (that is one thing on our skill check off card).

Specializes in ICU, Med/Surg, Tele.

Foley- Yes but i am one of the very few.

NG- No, the doctors put the NG tubes in, not the nurses, at the hospitals i have clinicals at.

Specializes in ENT, NH LTAC, WOUND CARE.

I have be3en an LPN for 1 1/2 year and have never outside of classroom orientation inserted a NG tube or a G tube for that matter. HAve seen it done plenty of times as a cna, but never done it myself.

I have inserted a male foley, but nevetr a female foley I have heard that the female are the hardest to do, because the meadis is hard to locate especially in the contracted and/or older female

I haven't. I've D/C-ed a foley that's it.

D/C many a foley too, that's for sure. Although, there isn't much to that.

Ive got to do a lot of IV starts and ive been able to remove staples, which was pretty neat.

Other than that, not too many other skills.

I was able to insert one foley when I did a day surgery rotation, but I am still waiting to be able to insert an NG tube. Practicing in the lab is not the same as doing it on a real patient, and I hope I get to insert one soon!

I'm glad to hear that I am not the only one who has not had much experience with some of the skills. I was worried about that.....

Specializes in Med/Surg, Hospice.

I'm about to start my second year and still haven't inserted a foley or NG tube in clinicals. There just hasn't been the opportunity. I do, however, get to do foleys occasionally at my nurse tech job.

For some reason, NG tube insertion doesn't worry me too much. I've seen a nurse do it once (before I was off orientation at work) and I remembered all of the steps as she did them.

My concern is how and when I will successfully start an IV by myself. I still need someone helping me, handing me my supplies, connecting the extension, etc.

Well, the whole IV thing doesn't worry me too much. I guess none of it does really, thinking about it. We'll learn.

I was in the ER once, as a patient, and a nurse was starting my IV and blood was spurting EVERYWHERE. So, I guess that stuff does happen.

Specializes in Pediatrics, High-Risk L&D, Antepartum, L.

I have done a male straight cath. I haven't done female yet.

I have dropped a whole bunch of ng tubes on a peds patient. My mom has been in the nursing field for a LONG time (RN, NP, CNM) and she has told me that I have officially dropped more tubes then her.

But I cheat...I dropped the tubes on a regular basis on my daughter. I also learned to do feeds...pump (couple different types of pumps) and gravity. I learned placement. I learned to replace a MicKey button (gbutton) as needed. I learned stoma care of a fresh g-tube site (had tube before button) and would treat for granulation tissue at home. Basically anything that has to be done with the ng I learned to do before school and any nursing care of a g I learned before school.

Now that being said...that has kept me from doing stuff on the floor. A cath came up a while back and I offered to do it (first semester for those skills). The instructors says "ah no, you do enough tubes". I stood there and told her "ah yeah from the other end". She laughed. I still didn't place the cath. She basically told me that since I've dropped tubes and that other stuff she wanted to get somebody with no tube experience at all....ng or cath.

Just to give an idea where I am in the program...graduate from an evening/weekend program in July 2008. 1 year (11 months, 2 weeks, 3 days to be a little more not 100% exact) ...3 semester...6 classes left

My next semester is only 1 class but it's a heavy hitting med surg so things should be hopping there. The next semester has OB so a female foley could easily happen.

Yeah, well I graduate in December, lol. :)

My goal for this semester is to at least do a foley or a straight cath.

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