Looking Ahead (Nursing School)

[Maiasaura]

So...I just started Nursing school. It's intense, but it's hard not to look ahead in the book, because it's all so interesting!

What I read under the penis section is "never retract the infant intact penis" and i went : WOOHOO, they're finally getting a clue!

Then... I read "retract the penis in babies over 3 months old" :

When it's time for this, for reading this section in class-- What shall I do, or say, if anything? The school is SO, so competitive that any reason at all for...well, let's just say I don't want to make waves at all, till after I have my pin.

But. There will be umpteen other new nurses in my graduating class, in May of 2011-- is there any way I can gently educate without sounding militant or zealous or too-alternative-for-thou? One by one? Or in class? How to even bring up the subject?
Otherwise they will all go Out Into The World believing that it's OK to retract little babies because The Book Said So. Now granted, I do live in a very alternative, crunchy area, but it's not the whole town, and I doubt much in the hospitals.

What course would y'all take? For a semester or three down the road when it comes up?

[Evergreen]

Write the publisher when you get a chance (maybe Thanksgiving break lol) then cc the letter to the head of the nursing dept.

[glongley]

Any nursing school worth its salt should be teaching students to be critical thinkers and to examine the evidence. And they should encourage any student who wishes to make an evidence-based critique of medical practices that may be harmful to patients.

Pull together the data on the development of the penis (go to CIRP.org). You can explain the normal development of the intact penis, and make the point that the average age at full retractability is age 10 and that the foreskin is well-designed to take care of itself. You can talk about the harms of forced retraction (search for "only clean what is seen" at http://www.kindredmedia.com.au/). Where is the evidence that there needs to be active intervention at 3 months? Did they do a study that proved this was necessary? No, they are going on incorrect understanding of the true range of age variability at full retractability, and a belief (founded in Victorian ideas) that the foreskin is inherently dirty and prone to disease.

Unless you really feel you are at risk of being blacklisted or expelled, you have a golden opportunity to enlighten your fellow students (and instructors) about this issue. Talk to your teacher ahead of time, say you found some information that is not correct and you'd like to do a short presentation on it in class. Nurses (and nursing students) are in a position to really make a difference!

Gillian

[Anastasiya]

Print out what the AAP says about retraction and stick it in your book. Then you can pull it out as an authoritative source when the time comes.

[ollineeba]

It might not even be a part of your lecture or covered material.
If your nursing school is anything like mine, you won't be assigned the entire textbook and they pick and choose what sections they assign for reading and what topics they lecture on.
Circumcision was only *very* briefly mentioned during our maternity rotations and it was just to say to be so very careful around the circed penis- to use tons of petroleum jelly to keep it from sticking to anything, etc.
I was nervous about the whole topic (because- trust me- I had already come across as the 'weirdo, pro-breastfeeding, crunchy hippie' ) but class was fine.

It WAS tough in clinical, though, because you either have parents wanting you to tell them that baby won't feel a thing & everything will be fine (and I won't lie..) or you are asked to assist with them.
I spoke privately with my clinical instructor and was excused from that, though.
BUT- I was lucky. I know some of the other clinical instructors would have assigned me to assist with them all, just to make a point.

Also met a super crunchy LDRP nurse who told me that's why she works 3rd shift- more natural births at that time & fewer interventions, circs, etc.

Good luck to you!
I know there will be times you have to bite your tongue.. but when you get a chance to speak up, do it.

I raised my hand to *gently* correct my instructor about the 'once a cesarean, always a cesarean' thing (and she was a LD nurse for forever!) and let her know that her experience was at one of the only two hospitals in our state with a ban. And that- without throwing induction into the mix- vbac was still a safe(r) option.

At first, I think she was annoyed. But it was clear that I knew my stuff. And in nursing, evidence-based practice is everything.
I had statistics, studies, etc. And the ICAN information & TIME article had just come out. So it was well received.
And she had already introduced herself as the "Similac Queen" so I think students knew to listen to her, but to take what she said with a grain of salt.

I think it might be a good idea to have handouts ready, if you think you know when the topic might come up.

[mama24-7]

Originally Posted by ollineeba

And she had already introduced herself as the "Similac Queen" so I think students knew to listen to her, but to take what she said with a grain of salt.

utterly ridiculous that this is someone teaching in what is supposed to be health care.

sus

[eepster]

Pointing out that a books information is out of date and incorrect doesn't make you sound like a wave maker, it makes you sound knowledgable, well informed and upto date.

[Night_Nurse]

Originally Posted by glongley

Any nursing school worth its salt should be teaching students to be critical thinkers and to examine the evidence. And they should encourage any student who wishes to make an evidence-based critique of medical practices that may be harmful to patients.


Gillian

:

[Maiasaura]

Actually, I think it's this year's edition; I'll have to check.

Originally Posted by ollineeba

It might not even be a part of your lecture or covered material.
If your nursing school is anything like mine, you won't be assigned the entire textbook and they pick and choose what sections they assign for reading and what topics they lecture on.

It WAS tough in clinical, though, because you either have parents wanting you to tell them that baby won't feel a thing & everything will be fine (and I won't lie..) or you are asked to assist with them.
I spoke privately with my clinical instructor and was excused from that, though.
BUT- I was lucky. I know some of the other clinical instructors would have assigned me to assist with them all, just to make a point.



I think it might be a good idea to have handouts ready, if you think you know when the topic might come up.

I hope you're right! About it not coming up in class. They don't assign the entire textbook, and I won't have mother-baby till...hmm, I think maybe 2 more semesters, at least, but I wanted to ask ahead so I have some time to think about it!

I won't lie either. I don't know what I'd say, but it'd probably be something like "I can't tell you that" because, well, I don't lie either I will NOT assist with them...I will have to think ahead of how to get out of that one. I must remember to ask in the beginning of mother-baby semester to not have to do that. What if they tell me I have to? : So far, I have really nice and funny instructors. I can tell they absolutely mean business, but they're not confrontational and mean. They're funny as heck and they smile a lot ~wipes brow~

I did find a small handout from AAP, that, if I print it at 60%, I can get it all on one page. I'm going to bookmark my book with it, and later if I need it, I can copy it for handing out.

Thanks, all!