Clinical examination of peers

[Polldoll]

Originally Posted by Varied A

We can do venepuncture here as student nurses, but not many do - just depends on whether you happen to be aware of a course when you're out in placement and get your name down on it. Same with male catheterisation.

It's silly really, you spend 3 years learning to be a nurse then you have to start learning all the clinical skills once you're out of that supported learning environment and fending for yourself.

Ooooh really?? I must do my homework and see if there are any going up here. The tutors never mentioned that at all, they state that we are not allowed to do venepuncture at all. Maybe it changes from uni to uni? I know that students from Paisley Uni aren't even allowed to take BMs any more! (Think that was due to an incident where a student from there never reported an abnormal BM and patient died or something)

[Genevieve]

Originally Posted by Polldoll

Nope, it an extended role in nursing, you have to do an extra course once you have qualified. Similar to male catheterisation and IV Drugs.

So far the practical side of nursing has been very disappointing, and out in practice we must be directly supervised in everything we do! And obviously there is much that we have to wait until qualified before we can do it.

I hope I can adapt to life as a medical student...

There is no logic in it at all, a 1st year midwife can take blood but a 3rd year nurse can't :S it silly.

I think you will adapt really well because there are skills you will have been wanting to perform and you will finally be getting the chance to (as a student).
I want to do medicine more and more every day. My course isn't really going into detail enough for me.

Je suis tres jealous of all you lucky (soon to be) med students :P x

[trouble]

The difference in skills learned in midwifery vs nursing is prob to do with the fact that they are entirely different jobs. Sorry but I come from a family of midwifes (im way out numbered) and I would be put in my place rather quickly for suggesting they were the same and had the same training needs. Not to say there isnt lots of crossover but midwifes have a lot more autonomy when they qualify hence the higher entry into the pay scale etc. Suppose thats the advantage of essentially specialising in on general area of medically related things (maternity).

[Genevieve]

Yeah I know... I also come from a family of midwives and I am training as a midwife now.
However, nurses do venepuncture when qualified so why not let the student nurses do it prior to qualification? Practice makes perfect as they say !!!

Also, I don't think any midwives would like hearing someone refer to midwifery as 'medically related'... as we all know chidlbirth is normal and medical intervention should only take place when absolutely necessary despite the majority of births taking place in a hospital. Normality is the 'new' way

[rjm]

Nurses dont routinely do venepuncture even once qualified. They have to go on a special course to be able to do it.

[Polldoll]

Even once they have done the course, i still find it unsual for nurses to do venepuncture. Been told by several that it is a Drs job, and why should nurses have to do it, they dont get paid extra for doing an extended role. I disagree with that, it would be one of the first things I will do as a qualified nurse!!

[yazoo]

It all depends on where you work and what you are doing. I've done competency assessments for student nurses where I work. Whether or not nurses take blood depends very much on the type of ward and the senior nurse!

When I did endocrinology and surgery, for example, lots of nurses could cannulate. It enhances care so much when patients don't have to wait for a venflon for their insulin infusion to restart or for their antibiotics! However, the sneaky nurses on one ward hide this from the newbie FY1s every year so they get some much needed practice (good on them)

[Will Watson]

I've had an NG tube passed down me and it was not an experience I'd particularly like to repeat - not because it was unpleasant (although it was!) but because I've now seen the complications of such things - scary stuff.

[rjm]

Originally Posted by Polldoll

Even once they have done the course, i still find it unsual for nurses to do venepuncture. Been told by several that it is a Drs job, and why should nurses have to do it, they dont get paid extra for doing an extended role. I disagree with that, it would be one of the first things I will do as a qualified nurse!!

Well its quite "exciting" for the first 3, then it just gets tedious, especially when as a HO in a surgical unit of a large teachng hospital that has no/limited phlebotomy service ("your quota is 5 per ward (on a ward of 35 patients, then you have to do the rest"). Sometimes you come across a blood/cannulation challenge, the rest are just boring. So please, go ahead and do all the bleeding and cannulating (you;ll soon realise it isnt that great!)

[charlie30]

Totally off topic...but following the 'not being paid for doing extra stuff' thread...I work with midwives who perform venepuncture, cannulate and carry out the paediatric examination of the newborn etc...and still receive the same pay as midwives without these skills. Madness really.

I totally agree that nurses should be learning to take blood in their first year of training...why midwives and not nurses? When I am on surgical nursing placements I am not allowed to take blood!

Charlie x