Practicing on Dummies- Blog #2

The skills lab had quickly become my favourite place during the long hours of the nursing school week. I look forward to Thursdays and Fridays because it allows us to practice everything that we had learned throughout the past couple of days and apply this knowledge practically. I appreciated that we started right away- that we “jumped right in” to the whole process because I am a very hands on tactile learner. While the simulated environment of the skills lab is excellent, it was hard to imagine that we would soon be performing these skills on live human beings as opposed to the dummies that lay lifeless in the skills lab beds. The first skill, hand washing, was the most nerve- wracking for me. I look back and smile when I think about how nervous I was to have someone watch me during this routine that I had been implementing my whole life (maybe not as thorough, but same idea!). The skills lab is where my confidence has grown, through the encouragement of the faculty and seeing that I am perfectly capable of performing these skills. I am able to put physical action into understanding the material that we learned throughout the week in caring for patients.