Practical Skills and Clinical Procedure Demonstration
What the practical station tests
An examiner at a GDA practical usually observes a full procedure against a rubric. Marks come from preparation, sequence, safety, communication, infection control, documentation and clean-up - not only from finishing quickly.
A reliable routine for every station
- Check the request and identify the patient with two identifiers.
- Explain the procedure and take consent; provide privacy.
- Prepare the trolley: clean items on top, waste bags, sharps container, correct PPE.
- Perform hand hygiene and wear gloves if indicated.
- Carry out the steps in the correct order, saying aloud what you are doing.
- Observe and report findings, then record the value, the time and your name.
- Discard waste into the correct colour-coded bin, clean the equipment, remove gloves and perform hand hygiene.
Worked example: hand hygiene station
The examiner asks you to perform hand hygiene before touching a patient. The GDA checks the hands for visible soiling, removes the wristwatch, applies alcohol rub and works through all seven steps for 20-30 seconds, rubbing until dry. She states aloud that soap and water would be needed if the hands were soiled or the patient had C. difficile. Reasoning: the marks are for the complete sequence and the verbalised decision, not for speed.
Worked example: vital signs station
Identify the patient, explain, let the patient rest, take temperature, count the pulse for a full minute, count respirations without announcing it, measure blood pressure with the cuff at the correct height, then record the values and thank the patient.
Traps that cost marks
- Skipping consent or privacy.
- Not verbalising the steps the examiner cannot see.
- Forgetting hand hygiene before and after the procedure.
- Putting waste in the wrong bin or leaving the trolley dirty.
- Recording a value you did not measure.