Does a CNA have to wipe butts?

[sssssaidthesnake]

I am thinking about becoming a CNA but I have heard some bad things, for example that I will have to wipe butts/ Is this true? Is there any where I can be a CNA and not have to do this? How can I get around it? What parts of the hospital can I work in that are not so totally gross. I can deal with surgery , just not poop.

[BuckyBadgerRN, ASN, RN]

I can only take the OP as seriously as I can those who answered the poll with "no"....

[ChristinP]

This question can not be real! I wipe butts prn and my cna does too!

[RNsRWe, ASN, RN]

Aw, c'mon folks, can't you recognize a joke? I don't know who the perpetrator is ('fess up!!) but gotta admit, it gave me a chuckle after a very tiring day.

Thanks :)

[fuzzywuzzy, CNA]

I am a CNA and I don't have to wipe butts. I just lay in bed all day... by CNA you meant certified nap-time associate, right?

[yousoldtheworld]

I am a CNA and I don't have to wipe butts. I just lay in bed all day... by CNA you meant certified nap-time associate, right?

Dream career...can you put in a good word for me?

[Tuesday17]

Our unit secretaries are the cream of the crop CNA's (who wipe many butts every day).

Maybe you should work at Dairy Queen or something else.

[charli_appleRN]

Get a job on an alzheimers unit and you'll rarely have to clean poop off of 'butts' lol

[nursel56]

sssss- I'll repeat a prior poster's question. What do you expect the job to be like? Since your first post here is a poll that really doesn't relate to your particular concerns (unless a pre-determined percentage of "yes" answers will cause you to be willing to wipe butts) -- you'll get much more valuable feedback if you tell us a bit more about your goals and expectations.

[northernguy]

Who told you CNAs have to wipe butts? Thats craziness. Most facilitys have Incontinent care technicians(ICTs) who are specially trained and equipped for that kind of thing.

The hospital I work at doesnt employ ICTs, so in the incredibly rare circumstance a patient needs their butt wiped, Ill usually page the attending Physician and let them know about the situation. They are usually more than happy to stop what they are doing and come wipe the patients butt. Occasionally you'll get some stuck up physicians who think they are too good to wipe butts(like me), so theyll just send an intern to do it.

If you cant get ahold of the doc and you are getting truly desperate, you can always have them announce a Code Brown over the PA.

[lbmRN2014, ADN]

Perineal care is a very important part of a CNA's job. You are there to help the patient. If the patient is unable to wipe his/her own private areas, then that is where a CNA steps in and does it for them. Some patients are in accidents or have strokes that disables them from doing this themselves. And trust me, it is probably more uncomfortable for the patient than it is for the CNA. How would you feel if somebody had to wipe your butt because you were not able to? It's not that they don't want to do it themselves, it's because they CAN'T. Debilitating accidents can happen to anyone at anytime. You may be the patient who cannot wipe their own butt and have to depend on someone else to do it after a car accident that has left you paralyzed from the neck down. God forbid that this happens but if it does hopefully you get a good CNA to do it for you.

[northernguy]

If you are really determined to be a CNA, but wiping butts is a no go, you could always explain to the other aides and nurses that you dont feel comfortable doing it. After they get done laughing, you could offer to pay them to do it for you every time one of your patients or residents is incontinent. Of course this might get old after taking home a few 10 dollar paychecks.

[mom4josh]

I'm hoping you don't have children.

Oh, and you have to wipe not only the butts with poop, but the poop you have to wipe off of YOURSELF when the patient throws it at you or explodes on your leg!