Lab #2 - some fundamentals

Today we had our second lab and we reviewed the fundamentals of nursing. We began by learning proper hand washing techniques. It was very exciting!! To be properly clean you must wash your hand for 30 seconds, so you can sing happy birthday or yankee doodle twice or twinkle twinkle little star once. Cleanliness is not about antibacterial soap, but about time and friction.

After practicing our hand washing skills, we worked on various tasks in the lab. Our instructor then wanted us to check out the cleanliness of our hands, so she gave us some special lotion to rub on, the lights were turned out and the black light was turned on. Wow - the germs were amazing. Even though we had just washed our hands, they were already covered in germs.

FYI: there are always more cells on your body that aren't you than those that are.

We then learned how to check body temperture. We actually used the mecury thermometer. We were told that no one uses them anymore, but we still needed to know how. We also "learned" how to use the digital thermometer. Luckily, we were only instructed on how to correctly check rectal temperatures.

Fundamentals are important, but learning to wash your hands and take tempertures seems somewhat silly. Knowing how to perform these simple tasks is the foundation for being a great nurse. I wouldn't call what we are learning right now exciting, but you have to learn to walk before you can run.