"I currently oversee approx 90 RN’s, I would say a large proportion wouldn’t know the answer....." I find that genuinely shocking and worrying!
"Because I know someone who's a nursing assistant/HCA and I've known her describe herself as a nurse" yes I did wonder that too and I don't know what training hca's get either.
"Lacrimose is a word for tearful so it’s really surprising she didn’t get it." My thoughts exactly.
"A&P just isn’t in the training in a basic form anymore" what?! Why? Surely like any knowledge based profession they NEED to know the basics first!
"I can understand why a nurse that doesn't work in that specialism wouldn't know. Equally I wouldn't expect a nurse working in ophthalmology to know the intricacies of the vagina." See it seems really basic to me.
"But I am often surprised as the daft questions i get from student nurses when they come to spend a bit of time with me these days."
I dread to think!
"I didn't know all the long bones before I worked in Ortho" OMG seriously? Curious when you did your training - was one of first things I learnt.
"I have often thought Latin should be compulsory in school for this reason. It forms the basis of so much of our language" my parents had Latin at school (catholic school) and while they left at 14 as many wc did then, their general knowledge is incredible and they're very hot on Latin inferences. Many "English" words have a Latin root and certainly in science and law it's still very much in use (handy for crosswords too - whenever I get stuck on a clue it's usually a Latin thing and mum puts me right).
"She should have known this. I trained in 1981 and still remember my a&p." 1992 here I still remember loads had it forcibly drummed into me by ex matrons of hattie Jaques ilk
"It’s only easy, when you know the answer!" Yes as a general knowledge item but I don't think iabu to expect a NURSE to know it. Like I'd expect a lawyer to know what mens rea means even if they don't work in criminal law!
"She should have been embarassed" totally agree Re science teacher. That is shocking!
I started the thread because it really actually summed up what I am thinking more and more when I encounter (especially younger - sorry) nurses. The BASIC knowledge ISN'T there.
To me basic - A&P, infection control, nutrition & hydration, obs/vital signs (taking and interpretation), wound care, a basic understanding of pharmacology... I'm sure there's more but that's off the top of my head.
In the years since leaving myself and through family & friends I've encountered:
Appalling infection control practice (where it even exists! Eg in my training we still did hospital corners - no floor trailing sheets!, strict visiting hours, uniform only worn on ward not for travelling, nobody but patients on the bed or using patient loos, regular correct handwashing, hair scraped back, no rings on hands - this ALL seems to have gone to pot)
Poor obs practices - once my sisters auto-sphyg reading was such if it were true she'd be dead or dying! She was sat up in bed chatting away - nurse didn't bat an eye took it as gospel and recorded it in obs. Mothers oral temp taken immediately after a hot cup of tea - nurse told she'd just had a hot drink, then commented 'oh that's a bit high we'll have to get that down' and tried to get her to remove clothing/bedding!
One gran and one grandad in hospital following strokes (I bet there's a few following know where this is going...) yep repeatedly left meals on their bed trays in front of them - they weren't up to feeding themselves yet the uneaten food not acknowledged properly. Patients unable to communicate to us they were going HUNGRY. It was sheer chance a relative visited when an uneaten cold meal was still on the tray and queried what was happening Re feeding.
Nutrition is key to recovery in every ailment/injury.
Dad given similarly named but completely different medication in error. Now I get the similarly named can be an issue, but what he was being given was for a condition he couldn't possibly have given what he was in for (too outing to say). So THAT should have made them think "that can't be right" and in a fairly high dose too. Luckily non toxic/dangerous but it meant he wasn't getting the LIFE SAVING meds he was meant to be!
I have a friend I trained with who has 'stayed in' and she's now at a point where she mentors newly qualified nurses.
She regularly comments to me how a significant minority:
Lack basic nursing knowledge
Lack knowledge of the specialism they've supposedly just trained for!
Lack the willingness to do what they consider 'menial' tasks - and also
Lack the understanding that the 'menial' tasks give them a chance to learn key info about the patient
eg if they're peeing and how their pee looks indicative of hydration
Stool - good ol' Bristol
Stroke patients when eating - are motor abilities improving/deteriorating
More time with patients also improves your relationship with them so you get TOLD more than if you're always in a rush.
Drives her nuts that with a certain type of new nurse she KNOWS she needs to explain to them that she wants them to do X 'menial' chore because she's concerned about y and doing so will enable a gathering of certain info.
Those saying it maybe wasn't her area of expertise, given the nature of the quiz (multiple choice) do you not think she should have known what at least one of the other 2 were? I'm several episodes on now but I think she was also saying she thought the sebaceous gland was in the neck - honestly I think that was the only one she even vaguely recognised!
"There are different kinds of nurses...did the person say rgn specifically? Several friends of mine are rmns and I also know a midwife. They're all 'nurses' but I'd want none of them anywhere near me in a medical type situation!" When I did my training the first year was basics like A&P which are relevant in every specialism, 2nd year more time out in practice so depends where you were what you learnt. 3rd year you could either continue in 'general' or specialise.
I'm aware the training has probably changed a lot but even if they're specialising from the start I'd still want them knowing the basics. Even a mental health nurse needs to be able to recognise physical illnesses - because they impact on mental health as a stressor, many have mh symptoms in addition to physical so it's part of the diagnosis pathway, for patient safety! I'd still expect an rmn to be able to respond correctly to signs of a stroke/heart attack/hypo!