Friday, May 20, 2011

UNAR nOTES

I  spent some time at a skills testing facility this week and found some very glaring issues with student's competencies.
Granted, some students pay more attention than others, some are older, some are going to nursing school, but I don’t understand how students are given the go-ahead to test, when they clearly have not become competent in their skills.
All students must be given their candidate handbook, which outlines how they should show up to test.  If they do not follow this, they do not test.
All classrooms and test centers must be equipped with a working bed, with working side rails and the ability to raise and lower the bed as well as elevating the head and/or foot of bed.  If the students do not learn and practice this in class, how will they pass the state test?
Please read below:
1.        It is a requirement for all students to wear a watch to test.  Most students did not have a watch.
2.       Most did not know all of the beginning and ending procedures
3.       Nor did they follow the critical criteria, specifically privacy and safety.  No side rails were used, no pulling the curtain
4.       Some did not know how to put on a gait belt
5.       Most had trouble with finding pulses
6.       Some had trouble with adding pulses
7.       Most were putting the head of the stethoscope under the B/P cuff
8.       Those same students were trying to find the brachial pulse without success
9.       Some students said that they did not practice on teaching stethoscopes.  All programs should have teaching stethoscopes and practice with them so they know if they are 'hearing' what they should be hearing.  Even if they do 100 at home, they should still be passed off as competent prior to testing.
10.   Some did not know ROM

***I know that the above issues were in one general area, but let this information give the other programs a heads up on student issues.