Hello All!
In this blog post I am here to discuss the very exciting but very nerve wracking experience of learning, demonstrating, and performing your nursing skills!
(As you are reading this I am actually performing a skills check off as we speak!)
Now, each semester of nursing school you go through you will probably learn a new set of skills that pertain to your clinical course topic (At least that is how it works in my nursing program.)
During my first semester I learned different skills such as how to give a bed bath, how to make a proper hospital bed, how to put in an in-dwelling catheter and a NG tube. During my second semester, my Med-Surge rotation, I learned how to put in an IV. For my OB/Peds rotation the skills we learned were nasal and oral suctioning in preparation for the upcoming critical care semester the following semester.
In my program the schedule is: we learn the designated set of skills during the first week of the semester, have a week or two to practice the skills and then perform them using mannequins in front of an instructor for grading. The grading process consists of the instructor going down the list of written out steps and checking whether or not you completed them - if a certain number of steps are skipped then you must schedule to do a re-do return demo for a different date. You cannot begin clinical until you pass your skills demonstrations.
That whole process can become very nerve wracking. I, for one, have always had a tinge of nervousness for every skill demo I have had to perform, no matter who was watching me demonstrate.
Now, I'm here to tell you that it's perfectly normal and expected to be nervous. Your professors are not going to judge you for having your hands shake as your trying to shove an expired "for practice use only" catheter tip into rubber mannequin genitalia.
I'm also here to tell you that the hospital staff at your clinical site won't judge you for being nervous either. They have all been in your spot before, and if they try really hard they can probably remember their first skill set and how nervous they were at the time.
Having gone through performing a few skills on patients I can tell you with confidence that it gets better. I remember my very first independent and completely successful IV stick -- which I also completely charted in the hospital computer system all by myself. Now, it sounds completely dorky, but that was a very proud moment in my student nurse career, and hopefully one that I will never forget.
I know that learning new skills can be extremely intimidating - you might even think to yourself "What? I'm allowed/need to learn how/am going to do that?"
Yes. Yes, indeed.
So, coming from a girl that has certainly "been there and done that":
Try and relax before your skills demonstration at school. It's really just practice, and your nursing instructors aren't out to get you! They just want to make sure that you learn the skills properly so you can go out and do them correctly when you are a real RN!
To learn the steps, rewrite them and practice! I would spend hours in the practice lab with my study group going over skill steps and when I went home I would rewrite each step until I was able to recite them back to myself by memory. Color-code them PRN! Practice is so important.
Talk to your lead instructor about your nerves. Aside from teaching you and scaring you to your core about exams, they have some good advice up their sleeves they're just waiting to hand out to those that seek it.
As the semester starts to roll out at full speed, you will be faced with lots of skills to learn and lots of facts to memorize. Take everything day by day, and try not to get overwhelmed. It's all about the journey - especially with nursing. Always remember that you're trying to be the most competent nurse you can be, and that means learning your skills properly!
Thank you so much for reading! I really appreciate all of your support!
- Michelle
#BSNbabe
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