Just had my first day as a student nurse, advice needed....

Esme12, ASN, BSN, RN · Jan 16, 2014

wait a minute here, I know I might be flamed for this, but I have to make a point about this. It looks like the norm of any nurse is "embrace poop, pee, vomit, and everything&anything negative that come, for you are a nurse"... I understand that our path as professionals has been paved and established by the older seasoned RNs, and I appreciate that, but as the field is filling up with younger and younger generations, I can see that the younger branches see things a little differently than the older ones. The educational regimen and academic demand in scientific realm of nursing has augmented exponentially since the beginning of nursing education, and as you all know, becoming an RN is pretty darn difficult challenge now. So now when I hear others say "what did you expect, you should swim in the pool of poop, pee, vomit... Why? Because you are a nurse!" This kind of thinking has engrained deeply well into our profession, but the tide has turned! We are relatively well-paid, highly educated, specialized workforce. I have Bachelor's degree that an engineer, teacher, scientist, biologist or anyone else in the world has, and I do not associate my profession to poop, pee, and vomit! Yes, cleaning is part of our job for it entails patient safety against skin breakdown, but I guarantee you I always let the CNAs know if someone needs cleaning b/c most of times, I am busy doing nursing, such as medicating, assessing, documenting; I know my belief is not one in a million, but I am not afraid to voice it. I really think RNs should value their degree for crying out loud. I refuse to accept that I suffered 4 and half years of my youth to attain a degree and a profession that embraces cleaning body fluids as a measuring stick of how well I am performing.
Let the flame... begin, but that is what I really believe, because I value what I chose, and I honor my colleagues.

This post does NOT honor your colleagues.....I always say I seldom become annoyed but I am becoming annoyed more frequently these days. I will tell you that becoming a nurse was a difficult challenge back in my day. My science micro and organic chemistry, were with med students as was gross anatomy.

Your assumption that only the newer nurses are educated correctly

The educational regimen and academic demand in scientific realm of nursing has augmented exponentially since the beginning of nursing education, and as you all know, becoming an RN is pretty darn difficult challenge now.

is erroneous and insulting to the nurses who are more educated and experienced than yourself.

I am glad that as a new grad you are confident in your skills...but to assume that your college education excludes you from patient care offends me. I view the CNA's as my partner in the patients care...not some lackey to do the dirty work that I do not wish to do. I ask the CNA for help when necessary and will help them at every opportunity for in cleaning the patient I can gain valuable information about my patient and assessment that is otherwise ignored.

I don't like cleaning human excrement...it is definitely the less popular part of my job. But I don't shirk what is my responsibility. I was an innocent 16 year old (almost 17) when I started nursing school and I have never even seen a male member let alone making sure I cleaned certain nether regions correctly....I cried for the first 3 months of school.... all the way home every day...because THIS was NOT what I signed up for. But you know what? It got better.

I find that when I help the CNA's I actually have more time to do my

nursing, such as medicating, assessing, documenting;

as they respect that I need their help for all of us to do our jobs. It promotes a healthy work environment and a team atmosphere.

As a manager if I discovered one of the nurses on the unit would seek out the CNA for a bedpan or to clean an incontinent patient and had nothing else pressing to do....they would be in my office having a discussion about responsibilities and team work.

LadyFree28, BSN, LPN, RN · Jan 16, 2014

Well SAID, Esme...MUCH better than what I was going to say-sure would've violated TOS. :wacky:

Esme12, ASN, BSN, RN · Jan 16, 2014

Well SAID, Esme...MUCH better than what I was going to say-sure would've violated TOS.

.....

....

. I had several re-writes...

Jenngirl34RN · Jan 17, 2014

I don't know how your program goes in Ireland, but in my program our first quarter of Fundamentals really did focus a lot on personal care and assessments, and it did seem like an awful lot of poop and pee. As we learn more we get to do more, and the focus isn't on the the bathing and cleaning as much. Don't get me wrong, there is still plenty of that, but there are so many other things to do and learn that it isn't as monotonous. It becomes something you are able to deal with quickly and efficiently so you can get on to your other tasks.

SoldierNurse22, BSN, RN · Jan 17, 2014

Y'know OP, this may seem really difficult and foreign now, but as many folks have previously said, you can and will get used to it.

I have an ironic story for you. I have been working in an outpatient setting lately after previously working inpatient. When I was inpatient, I worked oncology. There was always something to whine about: 12-hour shifts, working holidays, every other weekend at work, multiple days on call, nights, plenty of bodily fluids/poop to go around, intensely ill and often dying patients--it wasn't hard to find something not to like about my job.

Nowadays, I work outpatient. In a typical day, I shuffle papers, chat with people who come into my clinic for a few hours every now and then before returning to life as usual, and frequently find myself tasked to non-nursing related activities. Back when I was inpatient, I would've killed to work in a clinic like I do now with relatively healthy people who just need an occasional pick-me-up. But as I settled into the outpatient flow, I realized that something was missing.

Yes, I'm telling you I found great fulfillment and job satisfaction in dealing with that poop and pee-filled inpatient world. The sense of fulfillment at helping someone through their first round of chemo or guiding a grieving family through their loved one's death is unparalleled, and I don't do it because I need to feel happy with myself because I'm so awesome and helped out another human being. I do it because it's the right thing to do.

Laugh now if you'd like, but if you stick it out, you may find yourself just like me someday!

(muahahahahah!)

loriangel14, RN · Jan 17, 2014

It may sound nuts but I find great satisfaction in being able to make people clean, dry and comfortable.A nice bed bath, a dry/clean brief,fresh gown, reposition them, a warm blanket... they are so grateful.

OCNRN63, RN · Jan 17, 2014

This post does NOT honor your colleagues.....I always say I seldom become annoyed but I am becoming annoyed more frequently these days. I will tell you that becoming a nurse was a difficult challenge back in my day. My science micro and organic chemistry, were with med students as was gross anatomy.
Your assumption that only the newer nurses are educated correctly is erroneous and insulting to the nurses who are more educated and experienced than yourself.
I am glad that as a new grad you are confident in your skills...but to assume that your college education excludes you from patient care offends me. I view the CNA's as my partner in the patients care...not some lackey to do the dirty work that I do not wish to do. I ask the CNA for help when necessary and will help them at every opportunity for in cleaning the patient I can gain valuable information about my patient and assessment that is otherwise ignored.
I don't like cleaning human excrement...it is definitely the less popular part of my job. But I don't shirk what is my responsibility. I was an innocent 16 year old (almost 17) when I started nursing school and I have never even seen a male member let alone making sure I cleaned certain nether regions correctly....I cried for the first 3 months of school.... all the way home every day...because THIS was NOT what I signed up for. But you know what? It got better.
I find that when I help the CNA's I actually have more time to do my as they respect that I need their help for all of us to do our jobs. It promotes a healthy work environment and a team atmosphere.
As a manager if I discovered one of the nurses on the unit would seek out the CNA for a bedpan or to clean an incontinent patient and had nothing else pressing to do....they would be in my office having a discussion about responsibilities and team work.

Thank you, thank you, thank you. I am also weary of hearing how I probably wouldn't graduate from today's nursing programs or pass NCLEX-RN.

OCNRN63, RN · Jan 17, 2014

Y'know OP, this may seem really difficult and foreign now, but as many folks have previously said, you can and will get used to it.
I have an ironic story for you. I have been working in an outpatient setting lately after previously working inpatient. When I was inpatient, I worked oncology. There was always something to whine about: 12-hour shifts, working holidays, every other weekend at work, multiple days on call, nights, plenty of bodily fluids/poop to go around, intensely ill and often dying patients--it wasn't hard to find something not to like about my job.
Nowadays, I work outpatient. In a typical day, I shuffle papers, chat with people who come into my clinic for a few hours every now and then before returning to life as usual, and frequently find myself tasked to non-nursing related activities. Back when I was inpatient, I would've killed to work in a clinic like I do now with relatively healthy people who just need an occasional pick-me-up. But as I settled into the outpatient flow, I realized that something was missing.
Yes, I'm telling you I found great fulfillment and job satisfaction in dealing with that poop and pee-filled inpatient world. The sense of fulfillment at helping someone through their first round of chemo or guiding a grieving family through their loved one's death is unparalleled, and I don't do it because I need to feel happy with myself because I'm so awesome and helped out another human being. I do it because it's the right thing to do.
Laugh now if you'd like, but if you stick it out, you may find yourself just like me someday!
(muahahahahah!)

IDK, Soldier...I think they broke the mold when you were born!

SoldierNurse22, BSN, RN · Jan 17, 2014

IDK, Soldier...I think they broke the mold when you were born!

That's a guarantee that my entire family would be more than happy to confirm.

unicoRNurse · Jan 17, 2014

I haven't met any nurses (or students) who've said, "I enjoy human excrement; I think I'll be a nurse!"

I strongly advise against making a decision to abandon school and your career choice based on one clinical day -- especially your first clinical day! It does get easier, you will get used to it, and you can help that happen faster, IMHO, if you put yourself (or someone you love) in the position of the person in that bed, and treat him or her with the dignity-preserving professionalism you would hope to receive if you (or your loved one) were ill, incontinent, and had to be dependent on other people for your most personal care.

Hang in there. It gets easier!

Pepper The Cat, BSN, RN · Jan 17, 2014

I don't look at it as cleaning up pee and poop, washing etc

I look at it this way:

while I wash and help the pt dress! I am assessing how well they move! what is their ROM? Better than yesterday? Worse? If they are a pt with a stroke, how is their affected side?

What does their pee/poop look like? Are they dehydrated? Developing a UTI? Constipated? Signs of c-diff?

What does their skin look like? Are they developing ulcers?

While I help with the ADLs, I talk to my pt. I can assess their orientation, their memory, their ability to communicate.

In short, a simple 20 minute bath can tell me a lot about my pt.

Now,,as a Canadian nurse, I am more accustomed to more hands on care than my American counterparts, but I often wonder, how can you assess these things when you have CNAs doing most of the hands on care?

RetRN77 · Jan 17, 2014

Cleaning up after people's daily needs is just part of the job, but it IS part of the job. In some areas and some jobs, there may be others primarily assigned to help the patient with hygiene needs, or there may not. You will definitely have more of this in school than after, but there is no way you can be promised not to have to deal with it on a daily basis. Read threads on this site for a good idea of what nurses deal with on a daily basis. I think it helps to put into perspective that when you deal with bodily functions, you ofen are helping the patient more directly than with any other thing you may do during a day. It also helps to realize there are many other things more challenging and more interesting that you will deal with on a daily basis, and that bodily functions and hygiene are just part of them.

When I was a fresh new student, I wasn't particularly fond of having to make sheets so tight that a quarter could bounce off them (ex-WAC instructor, LOL) until a patient said, while she was schooling me to put my foot up on the bed to brace myself and YANK, "OOOOH! That feels SO much better!" His tone of relief was a real education for me.