Not willing to do the dirty work? - Page 2

Its not only about pitching in and helping CNA's. As an RN, it is YOUR patient not the CNA's. You better know AT LEAST as much as they do about every type of care. Not to mention, there is no better way to inspect your patients skin integrity and ROM than when you are bathing them. Does she think she is going to spend her day just passing meds? What it comes down to is its your patient and YOU are responsible for their well being. If a pressure ulcer isn't noted in the prior shift, but is found as soon as your shift is over....guess who's responsible?????

Sounds to me like these folks need to experience what it is like on the other side of the fence. I find it hard to believe that they would be as high and mighty when they are the ones requiring a little help with a wipe after the loo. They don't want to help a patient by getting involved in a little urine and poo? Best board the next train out of this profession!

Wow I wonder how they treat their CNAs. Our first clinical ever our clinical instructor and our lecture one both instilled in us that we are not above anyone in terms of giving respect and that poo patrol is not beneath us. I learned a lot form the CNAs and techs during my rotations and while one day they may report to me it doesn't mean I'm better than them and I won't have to do that sort of thing anymore. I mean what if you are on a unit that doesn't have CNAs or techs and your patient soiled the bed big time and/or needs a bed bath? You cannot leave someone like that its unthinkable from a human being standpoint not to mention probably constitutes patient negligence. Besides having been a tech myself and reporting to the docs I know I'd go above and beyond for those that treated me like a person while everyone including the residents would avoid the one who yelled, ordered everyone around just generally left a bunch of befuddled, angry, and upset people in his wake.

Been an RN for >30 years, BSN and MSN, and I spent several hours my last shift cleaning stool. Multiple times. While monitoring my cardiac gtts. Sometimes with help from the charge nurse, sometimes with a tech, and some all by my lonesome. Anyone who leaves a pt in a soiled bed is not a nurse. All they did was pass a test.

Yes! This exactly. My instructors would have our heads for bowling balls if we even implied that our patients' basic care was somehow beneath us. Like analyzing a patient's state of wellness can be done from across the room?!

Agree totally here - Nursing is CARING for your patients regardless!!!

Not willing to do the "dirty work" huh? Interesting. I was a nursing assistant for 6 years. I am now in the home stretch of nursing school and that's pretty much ALL we do at clinicals. We have one med pass a week and the rest is patient care. Let me just say that more and more, hospitals especially are leaning towards LPN'S and RN's doing the "dirty work" so we might as well suck it up, roll up our sleeves and do it. As far as I'm concerned...aside from all the charting and the meds and all the other crap that is expected of us...my number one priority is taking care of the patient. Whether that means giving meds, calling a doctor, getting a cup of ice or wiping their butt. I'm no better than anyone else when it comes to that. Period. I despise nurses who think they are. Go into administration and sit on a computer and in meetings all day. Otherwise, grab some wipes and some clean sheets. You're here for a reason.

This topic has been beaten into the ground. Of course nurses do patient care, and "wipe butts." When a LPN or RN is doing HHC or private duty, what do you think they do? If you are nurse and CNA for a patient, guess what. You're gonna wipe butts and clean up puke and urine, etc, etc. That is also what nursing school is......grunt work. You get to do the VS and showers, total patient care, meds and charting so the CNA's and RN's who are earning the paycheck get a break, and you get to learn. Not everyone thinks nursing is as its portrayed on TV......or, I would hope not!

In my LPN program we all had to be CNA's to get in. During LPN clinicals, No I did not want to make a million beds and give a million showers, and change a million diapers... I had already learned that. What I wanted to concentrate on was the LPN skills that were new. When I began working as an LPN I did help my CNAs and put people on the toilet, changed diapers, helped with bedbaths, and helped feed in the diningroom while other nurses stood by and wouldn't do the "dirty work", could I do it all the time and every time that it needed to be done, NO because I had to do my own work, which yeah is pretty hard when you have 30 patients. Now that I am in RN clinicals, No I don't want to pass pills, take accuchecks, make beds, change diapers, or give showers either. I want to learn the things and skills that are new to me and that I need to learn to advance my career.

But I also know that when I get that RN and BSN that I will be responsible for my WHOLE patient, and yeah that includes the yucky parts at times. Those that believe otherwise are sadly disillusioned.

And those students will get a wake-up call when they become RNs. CNAs are AWESOME. I'm a few months from graduation, but I can tell you now, if you treat your CNAs like that, and you think certain tasks are beneath you...you will find CNAs that aren't so willing to help you out. If you help your CNAs out when you can, they will bend over backwards to help you. You are a team, even if the RN is "over" the CNAs, you can't effectively care for patients with that kind of attitude.