Clinical Skills for Nurses

Survive clinical skills training with this essential guide for all student nurses. Providing words of wisdom and advice from real–life student nurses, Clinical Skills for Nurses is a friendly, quick–reference guide to all the key skills you need to know – boosting your confidence and competence both in the clinical skills lab and on your clinical placements. Special features Developed by students for students Clear, straightforward and jargon–free Ties in with the NMC standards for pre–registration education and the Essential Skills Clusters Examples and questions based on real–life nursing and healthcare situations

PREFACE vi INTRODUCTION vii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS x 1 PERFORMING OBSERVATIONS 1 2 MALE URETHRAL CATHETERISATION 19 3 FEMALE URETHRAL CATHETERISATION 49 4 BOWEL CARE 57 5 TRACHEOSTOMY CARE 83 6 POINT–OF–CARE TRAINING 97 7 BLOOD TRANSFUSION 117 8 VENEPUNCTURE 133 9 PERIPHERAL CANNULATION 151 10 EARLY PATIENT ASSESSMENT AND RESPONSE 161 11 INTRAVENOUS THERAPY 173 12 BASIC LIFE SUPPORT 183 ANSWERS TO ACTIVITIES, QUESTIONS AND “TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE” 191 APPENDIX 1: THE BRISTOL OBSERVATION CHART 201 BIBLIOGRAPHY 205 INDEX 209

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Claire Boyd is a Practice Development Trainer at North Bristol NHS Trust, Bristol, UK.