Are my classmates delusional??

[Lola89]

Hello everyone,

I was recently in a study session with some of classmates for a Microbiology class. We started talking about nursing in general and I jokingly said we are going to be professional a$$ wipers! (btw, I was just joking no need to comment on this :)) But they both looked at me with puzzled looks and said that we don't have to do that as nurses that CNAs do that. I asked them, if a patient has an accident while under your care what are you going to do? They looked uncomfortable with this question and just answered that they are aware that as a nurse those situations are not common. One claimed that her entire family was in nursing and she knows first hand that nurses hardly have to do that.

It just baffles me how many people go into nursing thinking that this things are beneath them? As experienced nurses how often are you faced with that situation, where you have to clean up a patient's feces and vomit. I honestly thought that you have do that often.

[chenoaspirit, ASN, RN]

Pardon my lack of education......

I am a trm 3 NS...Yes! I have cleaned up many code brown's (including on a 600+ lb pt!)... AND I understand that this is a nurses role..... but why would they keep a CNA around who refused to clean? I would think that would have been shirking her duties and it would be like....GEE it's beneath me as a CNA so I'll leave it for the RN?

I agree. I went to my CN and she did nothing about this CNA. Instead, SHE helped me clean it up (it was a massive vomit mess that needed more than one person). That was one of the reasons I quit that job.

[rn-2-b-n-09]

I would love to see the look on their faces when they are actually expected to do that stuff! They are in la-la land and they obviously have a glamourized ideal of what an RN is (or does). Just sit back and enjoy the show if you are so lucky to get clinicals with one of them!

[caroladybelle, BSN, RN]

They are delusional.

And when I work critical care, I actually wipe more than in medsurg.

[asfreeasabird]

Pardon my lack of education......

I am a trm 3 NS...Yes! I have cleaned up many code brown's (including on a 600+ lb pt!)... AND I understand that this is a nurses role..... but why would they keep a CNA around who refused to clean? I would think that would have been shirking her duties and it would be like....GEE it's beneath me as a CNA so I'll leave it for the RN?

I think I have met this CNA she must travel from state to state and hospital to hospital and is nearing retirement. Nobody seems to notice except the RN. Hopefully 2010 will be the year she finally retires.

[Music in My Heart]

Not an uncommon attitude among new grads, I'm told.

On one of my first days on the floor we had a pt. who was leaking feces around an obstruction; she required regular cleaning and couldn't help much in her own care. On one occasion I walked in to find an explosion, followed a few seconds later by the CNA. "I'll take care of it," I told her. She hung out to give me a few pointers and then went off to other tasks. She now sings my praises and I've got a good rep among my coworkers -- and the CNAs are very helpful to me... all because they know that I'm willing to do the nasty stuff.

My charge nurse later said, "One of my pet peeves is when a nurse tries to shirk care... the CNAs are AIDES... and there to help... but the responsibility still belongs to the NURSE. I see this attitude more and more among new grads."

[Cardiolyte]

I work in an ICU, total pt care. DELUSIONAL.

[Kabin]

There are no shortage of rude awakenings in store for nursing students. I recall one classmate talking about graduating and buying a cadillac escalade, etc.

[Meg88]

Yes ... VERY, lol

[kanzi monkey]

I asked them, if a patient has an accident while under your care what are you going to do? They looked uncomfortable with this question and just answered that they are aware that as a nurse those situations are not common. One claimed that her entire family was in nursing and she knows first hand that nurses hardly have to do that.

Not only is it common for a pt to have an accident while under your care, it is also common for MANY pt's at ONCE to have accidents requiring the the hands of all CNAs and nurses at the same time. On a surgical floor where many patient's are on hard-core bowel regimens and/or narcotics, you may be wiping and passing out buckets with both arms. Watch out for splatter, and make sure you're giving the right patient the right bucket (I had a patient reach for her roommates bedpan to yack in while on the toilet the other day. Gnarly).

Not trying to scare you away--just know that these things happen. You maintain your own professional dignity by helping the patient maintain their personal dignity.

[MedSurgeMess]

The hospital I work at hasn't had CNAs in over 5 years, so nurses can't "pass it off". They'd hate working there!

[justavolunteer]

I am 'justavolunteer' and boy do I have news for some folks. Many times it is the nurse who has to clean up a pt. because the CNA's are busy elsewhere. Often the nurse needs someone to hold a pt. on their side while she does the cleanup. Sometimes the someone is ME! If I get that close as 'justavolunteer', RN's better believe they will see plenty of cleanup tasks.

[jjjoy, LPN]

I'm wondering if perhaps the nurses who told those girls that they don't have to do that kind of work work in LTC or some kind of outpatient clinic/office or community program.

Most outpatient settings involve patients who can toilet themselves. In LTC, the nurses may rarely ever be involved in 'aide work.' The staffing is set up such that there is little room for functional overlap between the aide's job and the nurse's job. Still, I know some nurses flat out refuse to help even if they can simply on principle. I don't agree with that.

All nurses have had specific training to handle elimination issues and body fluids because whole patient care is a foundational concept in professional nursing. That doesn't mean that all graduates should be masters at all aspects of care or expect to do perineal care every day, but the reality is that many nursing jobs *do* involve dealing with feces, urine, sputum, etc. Planning to avoid that kind of care means narrowing one's professional opportunities. Of course, other doors may open with other skills & connections that one hones.