The Less-Than-Glamorous Duties

[miya]

I was at my public library and found a Fundamentals of Nursing textbook. I sat down and flipped through it and I was thinking, "I could really do this . . . I can really see myself doing this with pride." But I'm still a little concerned about adjusting to the less-than-glamorous duties. I get a bit uncomfortable when I read about, for example, digital manipulation of an impacted stool. Or looking at some of the skin ulcers made my stomach churn a little bit.

How did you all adjust to these type of tasks? I'm sure some of you weren't at all affected by it, but what about those of you who were a bit more squeamish? How was the adjustment process?

~Miya~

[nursepenny]

I can pretty much handle anything but sputum. At times this makes me gag uncontrollably, then other times doesn't affect me at all. I have disimpacted several pts, and have no qualms about it. It is a bad feeling to be constipated and can cause a mariad of illness, so I just think how much it means to my patients. I had one charge nurse who seems to thrive on digital impaction removal, but then she was a strange bird, lol

As far as decubitus ulcers, I have seen the worst. The odor is something you never get used to. I have seen patients without heels from these pressures sores, or pts with both buttock cheeks gone. I have seen pts with decubitus so large you could put both fists inside them or tunnelling so bad you have to use a whole bottle of NuGuaze just to pack them.

In nursing you take the good with the bad. You get to see patients on the brink of death, pulled back because of something, some little somthing you caught or did. And there is no feeling better than that. So, all in all if you feel you can help someone, or hold someones hand when their time has come, or comfort a family member, or just make an impact on someones life, then by all means, consider nursing. If you think this is a glorious job, or an easy job then rethink your options. There is very little glory, but a whole lot of satisfaction in nursing.

[miya]

Yeah, I figure it this way:

For one, every single job in the world has parts of it one will absolutely hate - whether it's a typical piece of paperwork, one specific responsibility, whatever. That's a given. And , no one goes into nursing (well, save for a few odd birds) thinking, "gee, I'd love a career doing digital disimpactions and enemas. . . what career offers me that opportunity?"

I have volunteered in hospitals before - all through high school, actually, in L&D and in ER. I've been around it before. Seen some things. It freaked me out a bit, grossed me out a bit . . . but I still want to go into nursing.

[NurseFirst]

And , no one goes into nursing (well, save for a few odd birds) thinking, "gee, I'd love a career doing digital disimpactions and enemas. . . what career offers me that opportunity?"

:rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:

[madwife2002, BSN, RN]

Surprisingly it is not often you get all these experiences in one go, you may go weeks inbetween.

How they laugh at me on my ward :chuckle cause I am obsessed by bowels, because I would rather give oral medication in advance of having to do enemas ect, not because I think it is gross but because it saves the patient the indignity.

:rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:

I can only hope in years to come that some kind nurse thinks ahead for me

[CoffeeRTC, BSN, RN]

How do you do it......

roll up your sleaves, take off your jacket and take a deep breath. Remember that you may be in that bed some day and would want a caring nurse. Also remember...most people don't sign theirselves up to getting sick. Its not like they wake up one day and want to be disimpacted or vomiting, lying in a hospital or nursing home. Compassion.

Also doesn't hurt to have a sense of humor about things...It is true that nurses have the weirdest/ sickest sense of humors. Have to...crying isn't an option.

[xmaxiex]

A really squemish friend of mine thought she would never get through nursing school , but now says that when you are treating a pt and not just a sore you get over it . You begin to look at the whole person and feel good about doing the gross things.

[tommycher]

There is no nursing care that has ever grossed me out or turned me off to nursing. What has made me want to leave a shift screaming and never come back is the one factor that makes or breaks a nurse-----> Can you handle the stress of a pharmacy that does not load the meds you need, or only loads them one at a time for each pt. in the pyxis, then asks you to re-fax the order repeatedly on five different patients, when all you really want to do is at least complete giving meds on time for at least ONE patient, then the 3 different docs for every single patient keep taking the chart and MARS, making it impossible between the pharmacy and the docs to get any meds or treatments given to even ONE patient, and then thanks to lack of adequate staffing, all of your patients are on the call light at one time needing help to the BSC, and YOU are the only one who can help each one who also has to repeat for the 10th time their life story to you, since they know you have ALL your attention focused on them, and them alone......... Get the message? Can you avoid screaming and pulling your hair out? Oh, but of course, in the middle of all this, staffing calls to the floor and asks you if you can fill in a shift for tomorrow, cause they are really in a crisis if you say no......... Say No, it is a mental health issue. Good luck in your decision, I would much rather just have to worry about a disimpaction.

[UM Review RN, ASN, RN]

p.s. I wanted to say that I've been in nursing for about 7 years total and have not once had to dis-impact a patient. I have however seen pressure ulcers that make the best of 'em sick to their stomach.

I had one lovely patient who was very contracted and used a motorized wheelchair. We used to have the most wonderful talks. One day I went to work and the poor woman was in agony and crying.

Because she was impacted.

I grabbed a few gloves (I double-gloved and extra-lubed :uhoh21: ) and went to work. The woman was literally kissing me when I was done and I was almost in tears too.

I think that up until the moment when I saw how miserable and upset and IN PAIN she was, I would've been totally unable to perform this procedure too.

So I guess at the point that your concern for your patient overrides your grossed-out feeling, you'll be able to do what you have to for your patient and suddenly how you feel really doesn't matter anymore because helping your patient is really more important.

[begalli]

I would definitely do a disimpaction, without a second thought, if it needed to be done. My only problem is that because I've never done it, I'd be afraid that I'd do it wrong and tear the poor patient apart! :uhoh21:

I know, that without a doubt, one day my time will come.

[UM Review RN, ASN, RN]

My only problem is that because I've never done it, I'd be afraid that I'd do it wrong and tear the poor patient apart!

Actually, I think there's a particular technique for doing a manual disimpaction. I'll see if I can Google it up and get back to you. Always good to be prepared....

[UM Review RN, ASN, RN]

Actually, I think there's a particular technique for doing a manual disimpaction. I'll see if I can Google it up and get back to you. Always good to be prepared....

OK. Scratch that idea. Apparently there are some really extremely weird people out there and of course, after I did a Search on "manual disimpaction technique," I found them. :stone :uhoh21:

[begalli]

OK. Scratch that idea. Apparently there are some really extremely weird people out there and of course, after I did a Search on "manual disimpaction technique," I found them. :stone :uhoh21:

LOL!!! :rotfl:

Sorry to laugh, but who would have thunk it when you innocently go to the www to search a topic with such great importance. The last thing I would have thought is that you'd get a bunch of weird stuff, but now that I think about it.....

Maybe I'll check my old nursing books instead!