Supplementary Lab

So I told you that I would share with you some about our supplementary lab! We're given the option to take this, but of course, wanting every opportunity to practice almost every (only 2 out of 103 didn't sign-up) signed up for the lab. The lab is used to enhance and reinforce whatever was taught that week in lecture (or round robins). We get to work with these pathetic looking manikins and practice our Foley insertion, wound care, NJ tube placement, injections etc.

My favorite part, of working in the lab, is the over-exaggeration of certain body parts...for instance when you go to insert the catheter many of the manikins have abnormally large urethral meatus making the insertion of a catheter the most wonderful and easy thing in the world! But our instructors drill into our heads...make sure you have a penlight so you can actually find the meatus when you're inserting a catheter into a real patient. (I gasp and think "you mean it's not going to be this pronounced and easy to find?!") hahahaha...Another thing that I just loved was practicing injections on the lovely little injection pads...once they had too much fluid in them they'd start spitting back at you when you'd go to give the injection. It was a blast randomly getting squirted with normal saline by this little piece of imitation skin!

These aren't the exact pads we used...but pretty close!

This is Wilma Wound Foot

We also had the privilege of working with some pressure ulcer models (See Stan at the bottom of the page) to give us a vague idea of what we may see when we're working with our patients!

 

I'd like to share with you though one of my most favorite experiences thus far! We're constantly being told to expect the unexpected (potential complications, adverse reactions, side effects etc) but apparently some didn't think that applied to our instructors as well. Our instructors were preparing to demonstrate the head-to-toe assessment. The instructor that was going to be the patient was given a hospital gown to wear just to make the situation more real. We were all taken back when our instructor takes off her vest, takes off her necklaces, removes her over-shirt (she still had another shirt on underneath)...of course we're all thinking that she'd go behind the curtain for the rest, but no, she throws off her other shirt and while standing there in her bra looks to us students and said, "If you were expecting modesty, you're in the wrong field!!" Gotta love nursing instructors!

However what I think is most amazing is the skill of gaining our patients trust...I mean really..we walk into their room and say, "Hello Mrs. Smith my name is Maggie, I'm going to be your student nurse today. I have a Dr. order to insert a Foley catheter into your bladder...do you have any allergies?!" Common...where else can you do that? It's like walking into a strangers house and going straight for the refrigerator!!

Anyways, we had to pass our final skills check-off which just included Foley insertion (sterile procedure) and our head-to-toe assessment. If we didn't pass this check off then we wouldn't have been able to go on to clinicals...so it was slightly important! Bless the people who decided wound care is no longer a sterile procedure but rather just a clean procedure! I passed with flying colors..my instructor said,"You do a superb head-to-toe" and I didn't forget any steps or break sterile technique while inserting my Foley!!! HORAH!!! So needless to say I'm in clinicals, and speaking of which, I need to get working on that care plan!! So until next time...

This is Stan the Pressure Ulcer