You are currently browsing the daily archive for February 22, 2008.
PBDS stands for Performance Based Development System. It is designed to assess a nurse in three areas: critical thinking abilities, interpersonal communication skills, and technical skills. I took it today, and sometime in the near future I’m supposed to sit down with someone to go over my results. From there an education plan will be formulated to meet the areas that I lack knowledge.
The entire test was done on computer, mostly through video vignettes and photos. I simply typed my answers in the appropriate columns.
The video vignettes depicted common clinical situations and complications. I was to assess the situation, lab results, and vitals to come up with the patient problem, interventions, anticipated orders, and rationales. The situations I remember having to cover today are: CVA, thrombocytopenia, acute renal failure, intracranial bleed, myocardial infarction, pulmonary emobolism, digoxin toxicity, bladder retention, ketoacidosis, pain control, and ileus**.
There was a section for troubleshooting IV problems. I would see a picture of an infiltrated IV site; extravasated IV site, an IV cathether that came loose; leaky bag; cracked bottle; etc and then write what I would do to correct the problem.
One section wanted me to prioritize situations by Must Do (take care of within an hour), Should Do (take care of by end of shift), or Could Do (can wait until next shift or later time). If I labeled a situation as Must Do, then I needed to write out some interventions as well. Some examples of situations: visitor cardiac arrests in semi-private room, annual evaluation scheduled today, doctor says you need to accompany patient to procedure that could last up to 90 minutes, a no-code expires at the beginning of your shift and the family is in the room, staff meeting in one hour, a nursing student is working with you and he/she needs to be oriented to the daily activities schedule, etc.
The most ridiculous was the Win/Lose, Lose/Lose, Win/Win section. I would listen to a conversation (nurse/patient, nurse/family, nurse/nurse, and nurse/doctor) and assess the situation. I had to write what the actual outcome of the situation was, an alternative or desired outcome, and what the nurse could have said or done differently. Seriously, the hospital has been trying to get rid of this section for two years now. I timed out and didn’t get to finish answering the last situation, but it doesn’t really matter.
** I realized later, after I had submitted my responses, that I had labeled the patient problem as parastalsis. Yes, I said the patient’s problem was the “rhythmic contraction of smooth muscles to propel contents through the digestive tract” (thank you, Wikipedia). Doh! I was thinking paralyzed bowel and ileus and somehow …. Whatever.
1. Trying new foods is the best thing about traveling.
2. I love a good cup of hot chocolate when I’m cold.
3. I often use Post-it notes.
4. I’m reading my juror summons right now; I dread it.
5. Celebrity gossip is something I dislike talking about.
6. When I visited Colombia, I most looked forward to seeing family.
7. As for the weekend, tonight I’m looking forward to knittin’ and Netflixin’, tomorrow my plans include bathing my dogs, giving them their shots, and dinner with a friend, and Sunday I want to write for a contest and plan Monday’s activities! (I love my long weekend!)
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