Members do not see these Ads. Sign Up.

First of all, Hi everyone! this my first time here :). I am a 2nd year Bsc podiatry student!
Does anyone have any ideas how I can practice my debridement skills at home? Some people said to practice on an orange, but it just does not have the same feel as hyperkeratotic lesions.

thanks and regards!

 

Hi Antonio
Start with treating yourself. Then family and friends. They will soon tell you if you have done a good job, or if you have missed something.
Just remember to change your grip of the scalpel, depending on where you are debriding. There is not just 1 holding technique of the scalpel. So long as you are safe to yourself and the patient and your grip is 'confident and stable' you should be ok. ,
But the best way is have a supervisor or mentor watch your every move for 1 treatment and you'll improve 10 fold.
Happy debriding
Trudi

 

Hi Antonio , what about using a pigs trotter . Can't hurt anything then.

 

We used to melt candle wax onto a bit of hypafix and stick it to the foot, caclc,or around a toe so you can practice inter-digital debridement.

 

We used pigstrotter with melted candle wax, then progressed onto family members (God love the poor devils!!)

 

We were taught at uni to start with a piece of Hypofix and candle wax, & then to buy a piece of pork skin (that you use for crackling) and use that as it has the same texture as human skin and you need to stretch it to achieve the same feeling as debriding human skin. Hope this helps, it did for me.
Cheers Carolyn

 

Agree with Trudi, best with friendsand family can't beat the real thing, however wax would help intially. cheers

 

In the months leading up to real patients , we used to practice on foot size wooden board with pink wax on plaster. Then the fateful day came for the patient. Luckily I had a building labourer with skin like a rhino. Although the thought at the time of burrowing through that lot still , after 35 years in practice, fills me with dread.

Remember, when you get on to the patients go slowly but surely & make sure you use plenty of skin tension. First thing to remember if you get a haem, do they still call it that in the schools? STOP!!

 

Good advice from Trudi; but I was terrible at scalpel work until a tutor suggested I practise debriding the skin of my contralateral hand at the hypothenar prominence; really drives home the 'applying the stretch' principle; amazing what a difference it made; now i'm only half terrible