Poop in nursing

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I am an RN. My niece is 18 and hoping to go to nursing school. Recently she told me that there will be no poop cleaning at her nursing school or in the hospital she plans to work in. "I am not going to be THAT kind of nurse. I won't have to change adult diapers."

I was shocked when I heard this! Why had I and all of my nursing coworkers chosen "poop" nursing schools! Where is this special poop free hospital?

There's poop in nursing?!?!?!

No one told me there was poop in nursing!!!!

;)

Seriously, I could not have dealt with the poop in nursing when I was young... probably not even until I reached my mid- to late- thirties and went through caregiving experiences with my husband and uncle. (I had other caregiving experiences, but none so hands-on.)

Caring for that very basic need for someone I loved shifted something inside me, such that the revulsion went away.

Since then, I've been able to do some very unpleasant things for people I did not know (and in some cases, did not even like), because there is something so beautiful about being able to do that kind of task for another human being in need - especially if you can find a way to get their mind off the situation, make it humorous, set them at ease, whatever is right at the time.

I was kind of a princess, too, by the way.

I wouldn't be surprised if the niece finds her attitude changing as she has the chance to experience clinicals, etc.

Specializes in burn ICU, SICU, ER, Trauma Rapid Response.
I wouldn't be surprised if the niece finds her attitude changing as she has the chance to experience clinicals, etc.

*** If that happens it's vitialy important that her aunt, and now all of us, will be there to remind her of her words:)

She actually used the word poop as an adult? WOW.

The RNs in my facility would only ask me (CNA) to take Mr. or Mrs. X to the bedside commode or BR... If they soiled their bed, the RN was right there, cleaning. I would always go get the new linens and come back to help, and when I asked them why they always wanted to clean the patient, they said because they could also assess skin breakdown, listen to patient complaints (and help them), and just in general make sure the pt was okay. It was a way to spend more one-on-one time with them without the interruptions of being an RN on a busy floor. One said "no one is going to come in here while I'm elbow deep in poop and tell me to go answer a call light. It's kind of refreshing LOL". I loved that, I want to be an RN like that.

Actually, all that means is that she hasn't seen many patients play with their own poop. That has no bearing on whether or not she's assisted with changes.

I was a CNA before I was a nurse. I think my contact with poop and bodily fluids in general increased when I got my license because in the end, I was responsible for the patient. Skin assessments of a person's back and bottom during a diaper change are indispensable. My CNAs knew how I felt about this and would make a point of calling me in when the patient's diaper needed a change if I wasn't there with them already.

I have seen RNs, LPNs and CNAs alike shirk their duties. I have known CNAs who refused to wipe butts and answer call bells. I have known RNs who did the same. Irresponsible behavior isn't confined to one role vs. another.

Um no, the level of her shock, long description of how she repeatedly had to run to the bathroom to dry heave etc strongly indicates she does not deal with BM much at any level. Other nurses I know see it all the time and gladly call a tech to deal with it, but are by no means shocked by the site of finger painting.

Specializes in Forensic Psych.
This has got me thinking. What is societies problem with poop? For god sakes everyone does it! Why is it such a big freaking deal? We all work in nursing on some level (me, a CNA) and we're used to it so to us, its not a big deal. To my husband, sister, the average person.....they cant say bowel movement without blushing. I wish there wasn't this big stigma surrounding it. Everyone does it, some people enjoy it (i know im gross) and some people need help after they do it. Who gives a flying pineapple? :-) You wipe it off and move on. Are they like this in other countries do you think? Shhhh can't talk about it its private!![/quote']

Survival. Poop is a hazard to society - disease and all that. We're supposed to abhor it. :)

My first semester in clinical a girl in my group was in a room with me and another student and she right in front of the patient said she couldn't deal with "cleaning poop" and couldn't handle the smell and I had to step in and take care of her pt. I couldn't believe she did/said that and in front of the pt. She is as everyone on here says "the younger generation" fresh out of high school. I took her aside after and told her she needs to get over herself and smarten up because "cleaning poop" is part of our job. Also told her never to say that in front of a pt again, very unprofessional. I don't know why people coming into nursing think they are so above the basics of care for pts. It's like they think they are going to finish school and go right into management or something!!

Specializes in CMSRN.

I'm very glad my nursing school emphasized hands on nursing. I chose to go the ASN route over the BSN route (there is a 4-year school and a 2-year school right here in my town) because I heard from so many people that the hands on experience is so much different at the 2-year school.

My first semester was spent in a nursing facility and we acted as both the CNA and Nursing student while on the floor. We changed a lot of briefs and did a lot of showers but taking care of those patients gave me an extreme amount of respect for the work that was to come. While in the hospital I cleaned up many a patient and changed multiple colostomy bags and I would not have been ready for that without my time in the ECF. My understanding of the 4-year program is that they rarely have hands on experiences but rather "shadow" through much of their time in nursing school. That's definitely not how I would have wanted to be trained.

Also, nurses that don't get their hands dirty absolutely are not going to be respected by their patients. When I was in labor with my daughter I pooped on the table and one of the young nurses (possibly a student - I was in transition and NOT paying that much attention at that point) asked if I could clean myself up. Of course I said "NO" and my husband said something and they finally wiped me up but he said with the look on her face he almost grabbed the washcloth out of her hand and just did it himself. Those kinds of experiences are going to lead to unhappy patients and not very good satisfaction scores, that's for sure.

Of course there is a way not to deal with poop on a regular basis as a nurse but that generally means going right in to case management or work in a doctor's office where that's not something that's dealt with regularly. I'm glad poop is not a problem for me and I look forward to working in acute care.

Specializes in Hospice.

Hoping my many months of caring for a bulldog puppy in diapers due to a spinal deformity has toughened me to the various sights and smells of poop. Or maybe caring for two adult MR patients in a home setting will help. In any event, we will all have to deal with it, and there is nothing about nursing and patient care that I am not looking forward to in my clinicals this Fall. I fear being in the situation where someone will have to care for me in that regard more than I fear caring for someone elses personal needs.

Just received my CNA and start nursing school in August. Did CNA clinical in a sub acute so glad I experienced it before nursing school. And I just turned 18 so the millennium stuff is crap... I saw poop for dayssss!

Specializes in Peds/outpatient FP,derm,allergy/private duty.
Hoping my many months of caring for a bulldog puppy in diapers due to a spinal deformity has toughened me to the various sights and smells of poop. Or maybe caring for two adult MR patients in a home setting will help. In any event, we will all have to deal with it, and there is nothing about nursing and patient care that I am not looking forward to in my clinicals this Fall. I fear being in the situation where someone will have to care for me in that regard more than I fear caring for someone elses personal needs.

You'll be great - and model behavior for your classmates, too. Your post makes me think of another point, too. The emphasis on poop strikes me as totally out of proportion as it is one function of one body system. Working as a CNA puts you into contact with poop more often because hygiene and activities of daily living are the focus of their jobs. As a nurse we're supposed to think of all of it as inter-related.

HA!!! You are too funny :) this made my day.

You must have totally missed the poop free nursing school advertisements (y'know the ones with the lady shaking her finger at a soiled chux), and it sucks that you also work at a poop-friendly hospital. Seriously poor choices on your part.

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