Fake buttocks and breast examination torso wow potential future nurses
26 July 2016
Events
Southend University Hospital pulled out all the stops at this year’s Greensward Academy industry day, which took place at the school in Hockley, and was aimed at 14-15 year old students.
The hospital's Lead Urology Oncology Clinical Nurse Specialist,
Ann French, gave a short talk on how nursing has developed in the
35 years of her career, and about job opportunities for nurses
today, perhaps even helping to influence a future generation of
nurses for Southend.
Ann also brought along a selection of equipment used by herself
and other colleagues in the hospital, including both male and
female catheterisation models and catheter equipment.
The day had an extra special significance for Ann, who said: "It
gave me confidence that some of the young faces I saw in the room
would one day probably be looking after me in hospital. The
students were fun, interactive and so well behaved. I was
especially proud as my own son, who qualified as a chemistry
teacher last year, facilitated the session."
The students participated in learning about anatomy, conditions
that require patients to need a catheter and also had an
opportunity to attempt catheterising the models. They were also
shown how to examine a 'breast examination torso' which shows how
tumours in the breast and armpit can feel. A colonic washout
model, used to train patients who suffer with constipation to
self-manage their bowel movements, was also demonstrated.
A white light box to check how well the students washed their
hands was a great hit. Participants coat their hands with a cream
to represent germs and then wash it off - residual 'germs' glow
blue on their hands if any cream is left behind.
Finally, a set of buttocks were available, highlighting the
different stages of pressure sores and their management. The
students had time to use the training models and ask lots of
questions and this hands on approach really got them engaged about
the role of nursing.
One of the students said: "The nurse was really interesting to
listen to. Ann told us what it is actually like to be a nurse
and why she loves her job. It wasn't like all you hear in the
papers about the NHS; she really seemed to love it."
Another said: "It was weird at first getting hands on with the
models but it was really interesting once we got stuck in - not
something I would ever have seen myself doing before."