How do you tell someone they smell bad?

Nurses General Nursing

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Not a patient, but a student? The other day I was getting report from the previous RN, and she had an LPN student with her that she was precepting, and the student smelled awful. It nearly knocked my socks off. It wasn't BO, like from working up a sweat from working hard, but more of a yeasty skin fold smell. On the one hand, since she is an LPN student, she'll probably only be around for a few weeks, so I could just ignore it. But on the other hand, she probably smells like this wherever she goes, and I'm certain it leaves an impression. Would it be kinder to ignore it since she is temporary, or mention it in some kind sort of way, so that she knows and can address it? Maybe I should mention it to her preceptor, but it's hard to imagine that her preceptor hasn't noticed. :o

i think as nicely as possible, inquire about her health, buy her some bath and body hand sanitizer (lordy my husband is always stealing mine).

you never know i live in the rural south and drive to the city for nursing school. there are people out here who do not have running water (i do, lot's of it, sulfur well water) and in order to bathe they have to tote it into the house.

virgo, i like the suggestion of bringing this person aside, and showing genuine concern...

gently sharing that you've noticed an 'odd' smell and was wondering if everything was ok with her.

that, you cannot pinpoint its source, but in the event that others notice it, she may want to tend to the problem.

and, "i know this must be very difficult to hear, and for that, i am truly sorry, but strongly felt you needed to know..."

yes, it's an extremely delicate situation...

but am confident she is not doing this purposely, kwim?

and so, someone needs to tell her.

after you're done talking with her, a gentle but quick rub on the back, and walk away...

just to spare her further embarrassment.

one more thing...

i've noticed when i have to give bad news, it is helpful when i can 'identify' with her problem.

for example (and since she's a student) - tell her that this very same thing happened to you and it ended up being a fungal infection.

maybe she won't feel so alone and/or horrified.

i hope this works out, poor girl.

good luck, virgo.

leslie

I worked with a CNA who had horrible body odor. The DON talked to her about it and she actually said she thought the way her natural scent smelled was pleasant. I never could understand that. It was a cross between BO and soured milk. For Christmas I drew her name and went to Bath and Body Works and bought her citrus bath and shower gel, shampoo, lotion and body spray. It worked, she actually used it and everyone complimented to her on how good it smelled and she bought more and continued to use it. Thank God!

It is a tough issue to bring to someone's attention. I certainly would want someone to tell me though, no matter how embarrassing it may be. I could get over short lived embarrassment rather than the ongoing embarrassment of people talking about me behind my back and continually making comments about my hygiene. However, there are some people out there that either don't notice it on themselves, actually like the smell, or have a valid medical reason. There are pretty strong products out there that can eleviate some of the odor to make it almost bearable for those with medical reasons.

Good luck and bless you for being so empathitic about her feelings. You're a good person and nurse I am certain.

I agree with most of the suggestions here and am with the group who would want to know, no matter how difficult it would be to hear. I don't agree with the Bath & Body works gift bag though as sometimes that stuff is worse! I'd be hard pressed to say which bothered me more, BO or someone who smells like they showered in fruit juice and flowers. Mild scents are fine for me but some of the fragrances are really overpowering. It got bad enough on my unit that scented lotions and sprays are no longer allowed.

Most likely what I would do is pull her aside and tell her it's hard to say this and I know it's going to be difficult to hear, but I'm noticing an odor. I doubt I'd pose it as a medical condition but would give her a more plausible "out" like not having time to shower, running out of deodorant or getting something on the clothes (most of us can relate to one of those situations at some point) but it should be taken care of. I might say if none of those apply she might see a dr but I'd rather let her have the option of a fib and tell me she overslept and then Mrs. Jones peed on her shoes.

Stories are still told about a guy who was before my time at my facility who smelled. They say it was so bad he had his own chair so others didn't have to sit in his odor! People tried to "hint" about it and gave him a bunch of bath stuff (towels, washcloths, soaps, deodorants, etc) for his birthday one year and he still didn't get it. A few weeks later someone asked him how he liked the products and the guy said he never used them. When asked why he explained that he didn't need to use soap or deodorant because he naturally didn't have BO but had given the stuff to his brother because he always smelled and refused to use anything! They had to get blunt at that point and one of the guys just flat out told him they went with those gifts because he did need them. The guy was mortified but took care of the problem.

Specializes in NICU, Post-partum.

I would tell the instructor....and let her handle it.

i tend to go for the vanilla at b&b, in the summer i do switch to something citrussy (mango mandarin maybe). while i know it might be easier to just let the instructor know, and let her deal with it, i also know it might be easier coming from someone who basically is a stranger.

don't be surprised if she cries or can't look at you again during her rotation, but i think i'd rather have someone despise me for the truth, and my truly trying to help them, than letting it go, and having it turn into some "real" health issue in the future.

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