[Katnip]

Originally Posted by supernurse65

Psych nursing is not a "breeze" either. you dont have to clean up poop or puke or even give baths. However, you DO have the clients who come to your office that need a bath, smell like poop or puke. Not to mention the clients who commit suicide or attempt to do so.

it is very emotionally draining.

you get yelled at on a daily basis about something or other, every thing that happens with your clients is your fault some how.

you are going to have to "work" no matter what you do......if you dont want to work......... DON'T BE A NURSE.

i love psych nursing.........and i've done EVERYTHING as a nurse of 24 years. maybe you should rethink the nurse thing

I beg to differ. I work in psych and I have had to deal with vomit and "poo." Not often, but it happens. Sometimes it's deliberate. If you're going to work with people who are at their most vulnerable you're going to have to deal with their body fluids.

[jlsRN]

In psych you have to deal with feces and vomit of the mind, which to me much more frustrating. Each to his own, but I hate psych.

[Ms Kylee]

Get a job as a jail med nurse.. all you do is pass pills and take inmate's BS....

[Anjann]

Originally Posted by Emmanuel Goldstein

This crap: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1-uMKg86Ck

Exciting and glamourous... not a one wrinkled and covered in bodily fluids, hair standing on end, hopping about because they haven't pee'd in 12 hours....

This one!

[RNAnnjeh]

Need to remember that we choose to be nurses and we choose where we want to work. Patients do not get to choose when they get sick, how sick they are, and what bits their body would like to lose control of. I'm sure if they had the choice, they wouldn't choose to have someone have to clean up their body fluids.

Our patients have to trust that we will care for them in a dignified manner. Yes, I've cleaned some stuff up that 10 years later I can still smell. But no matter how much I didn't like it, the patient didn't like it even more.

After my first clinical placement, I really started to second-guess my decision. But in the end, I realized that being a nurse isn't about what you do, it's how you do it.

As someone else said, being a nurse means you treat the entire patient, poop and all. It's amazing what people remember when after they've gone home.....it's an honour to hear someone say "that's the nurse who took the time to give me a bath. I really needed that." Someday, that will mean a lot to you.

[Ms Kylee]

I truly don't mind giving baths... I had one patient who came in late night and I was on daylights. After her breakfast, I came in and asked her if she was ready for her bath. Her response? "Oh, Honey, I was hoping you would ask me. I didn't get one from the nurses last night." (never mind that baths are a daylight task, but we'll let that slide). I gave her a bath, and later that afternoon when I went in to get her vitals, she had visitors. First thing out of her mouth when she saw me was "This is the nice lady that gave me a bath this morning". Such a little and simple thing, but it made her happy. And she wouldn't let anyone bathe her but me.

[Emmanuel Goldstein]

Originally Posted by Anjann

This one!

Oh, yeah LOL.

Sheesh. My short-term memory is shrinking by the minute...

See what nursing does to ya? A mind is a terrible thing to waste

[Semperdave]

Originally Posted by Emmanuel Goldstein

Seriously... you've got to learn to love your inner poo. Celebrate the poo. Embrace the poo.


It's all about the poo.

Thanks EG,
That gives new meaning to "The Tao of Pooh"

[BSN06HH]

Originally Posted by Djuna

I can understand why nurses don't want to get their hands dirty so to speak. Historically having a university degree gave you a certain standing and within that you could expect status. When you have that status you don't expect to do 'dirty' work like cleaning up faeces and vomit.

It ultimately comes down to expectations but unfortunately dealing with vomit, sputum, faeces, and other bodily expectorates, is part of nursing. But hey, doctors deal with that stuff too so don't feel too bad.

I can kinda see what you are talking about. When my friends and I get together and talk about our jobs (we all went to college together and have bachelor's degrees in various fields), my friends in science, teaching, and mostly business are disgusted by what nurses have to do. They always say "Thank God there are people that are willing to do that". Most people that graduate with a bachelor's degree don't think they will have to do grunt work and deal with all the gross bodily functions that most people don't even want to know about. Unfortunately, being a nurse means dealing with these things and most of us knew that going in. It is just one of those sacrifices we make when we become a nurse and many people look down on us having to deal with poop, like that is the only thing we do. That is why being a nurse requires perserverence and a desire to really make a difference and help others. Yes, we see people at their worst but we also get to see people at some of the most inspiring and wonderful times. Being a nurse (and CNA) takes a special person and I admire all those who have done this (most of the time) thankless job for many years. I hope I can last that long. God bless u all

[meimeiy]

Before I started nursing, I couldn't imagine cleaning something's poo poo. Now, it's just part of the job and I don't think twice about it. Once in a while, the stink would make me want to throw up. The most important thing I know is I am meeting the patient's most basic needs. I don't enjoy bathing patients but I love how it provides comfort. And when they smile and looked refreshed, it maked ME feels so good. That makes me happy.

A few psych patients I had, threw feces at me. So, someone has to clean them up. LOL.