Introduction and Overview[edit | edit source]
Objective:
In this session, you will become familiar with the specific psychomotor skills of placing a half pin in the bone and the rubric you will use to assess your skills.
Half pins are used for external fixation of bone (placing an external fixator will be covered in a future module) and practicing half pin placement will also be helpful for learning to place traction pins.
By the end of this Module, you will be able to:
- Use a rubric to self-assess and improve your half pin placement skills.
- Identify safe zone locations for placement of half pins.
- Place pins in the track of the drill.
- Insert the pin through the far cortex without going too far into the soft tissues.
- Accurately position 4 pins in the bone to optimize fracture stability and external fixator placement.
You will use this rubric to assess your own skills and to measure your progress over time as you learn to place half pins on the bone simulator.
Assessment Rubric for Learning Target 6: I can place a half pin with accuracy and consistency.
| SKILLS: | EMERGING (I am just getting started on this skill) | APPROACHING (I am still developing this skill) | MEETS (I am competent and confident in this skill) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Identify safe zone locations for placement of pins | I know basic safe zone anatomy around the tibia. | I can correctly identify safe zones on different anatomical drawings. | I am confident I have the anatomy knowledge necessary to correctly place an external fixator on a human patient. |
| 2. Place pin in track of the drill | I am able to get the pin near, but not exactly at the drill hole.
No. of misses__/10 |
I am able to place the pin in the track of the drill most of the time.
No. of misses__/10 |
I am able to consistently place the pin in the exact track of the drill.
No. of misses__/10 |
| 3. Insert the pin through the far cortex without going too far into soft tissues | I am able to engage the pin with the far cortex, but often the pin is either not all the way through or it goes too far into the soft tissues.
No. of times pin is too far/too short __/10 |
I am able to engage the pin with the far cortex, but sometimes the pin is either not all the way through or it goes too far into the soft tissues.
No. of times pin is too far/too short __/10 |
I am able to consistently drill the pin so that it extends very slightly beyond the far cortex.
No. of times pin is too far/too short __/10 |
| 4. Accurately position 4 pins in the bone to optimize fracture stability and external fixator placement | I am still learning how to position the 4 pins in the bone. | I am able to accurately position the 4 pins in the bone, but am still working on doing so smoothly and efficiently. | I am able to consistently position the 4 pins in the bone smoothly and efficiently. |
Think through these questions:
- What is your timeline to work through this Module?
- How will you work with your learning partner? How will you give each other feedback?
- When will you meet with your mentor for feedback and discussion?
MATERIALS NEEDED:
- Bone simulator (see Module 4)
- Electric or manual (egg beater) drill
- Half pins
- Computer or mobile phone to watch instructional videos
- Mobile phone to take videos and something steady to place it on
Placing a Half Pin Skills Practice and Self-Assessment[edit | edit source]
Objective: In this session, you will get hands on practice as you learn how to:
- Identify safe zone locations for placement of half pins.
- Place pins in the track of the drill.
- Insert the pin through the far cortex without going too far into the soft tissues.
- Accurately position 4 pins in the bone to optimize fracture stability and external fixator placement.
Refer to the rubric in Step 2 at the beginning of this Module (you may want to print out one or more copies). Use the rubric to assess the following and note if you are EMERGING, APPROACHING, or MEETING each of the sub-skills. This will help you know which knowledge and sub-skills require more practice. Please take notes on your self-assessment below.
- Row 1: How well are you able to identify safe zones for locations of pins?
- Row 2: Are you able to get the pin in the track of the drill? How many times did you miss?
- Row 3: How well are you able to insert the pin through the far cortex without going into the soft tissues? How many times was your pin placement too far or too short?
- Row 4: How well are you able to position 4 pins to stabilize the fracture and place the external fixator?
SELF-ASSESSMENT NOTES:
Continue to practice placing half pins until you are competent and confident with each skill. Re-watch the instructional videos as many times as you need. Over time, you should progress from EMERGING, to APPROACHING, to eventually MEETING the criteria for each sub-skill in the placing half pins rubric. Once you have determined that you MEET all of the sub-skills, you can move on to the next Module.