Are nurses "above" menial pt tasks?

[trauma_lama]

Okay, today (on mother's day), having lunch with my mother resulted in an argument. She seems APPALLED that the thought of wiping someone else's butt does not upset me in the slightest. She seems to think that "ass-wiping" is only for lowly, uneducated CNAs and thank GOD that once I'm a nurse, I won't have to do gross things like that anymore (not to mention that I'm hoping to work as a CNA until I get my RN, so that kind of feels like she thinks I'm a "nothing" until i get my degree). My argument was that being a nurse is not about being able to pawn off the "gross" things on nurse aides; it is about whole patient care. Yes, nurses do not wipe butts as much as CNAs do (because they are busy doing a lot of other important things that other members of interdisciplinary health teams can't do), but I'm under the impression that whatever is best for the patient goes . So if that means rolling up my sleeves and wipin' up some poo to give a sick person some dignity and prevent skin breakdown, I will NEVER be above the task. I realize that once I'm a nurse I may have more emergent issues that force me to ask a nurse aide to step in for jobs like that, but unless something is more pressing I think it is not appropriate for a nurse to think that they are "above" doing the work of a nurse aide. What is this situation like in the field? Are there nurses who really think that they are too good to do an occasional diaper change? And if so, are they frowned upon or do people let it slide or call them out on their behavior? Am I right to think my mom is being ridiculous and snooty to think that a nurse (or anybody for that matter) should not have to do "gross things" like clean up poo? I told her that she is welcome to tell me about music ANY time (she's a pianist/organist) but that when it comes to health care, she should be asking questions, not shoving her opinions down people's throats.

[mazy]

Cleaning up a patient gives you the opportunity to do a very thorough assessment of systems, skin, output, quality/quantity of that, smell, neuro status, mentation, ROM, etc. etc. etc.

Not the least bit "menial," it's absolutely necessary. Tell your mom that to do your job well you have to actually get up close and personal with your patient.

Harrumph.

[caregiver1977]

I don't think CNAs are uneducated at all. I know that they are often unappreciated, but for patients in LTCs who have no visitors and can't do for themselves they really appreciate their CNAs (most patients anyway).

[Not_A_Hat_Person, RN]

I work in home health, so I have to do everything, from giving meds to changing briefs. I don't mind it one bit.

The only time I've minded basic nursing tasks was when I worked with some very lazy aides, who would ask me to change their patients so they could take their 5th or 6th smoke break. They can't do my job, so they shouldn't expect me to do theirs.

[AgentBeast, BSN, RN]

I've said it before on this site, but you can't order/delegate somebody to do something you aren't willing to do yourself, or as Major Richard Winters states, "Never ask your team to do something you wouldn't do yourself."

[Bhavana]

You are right, it is all about whole patient care. Yes, some nurses feel above it all, and personally, I do not want a job where I will be wiping butts even just a few times a day - but then, I won't work around the patients that might need that service in the first place. I am not interested in the really sick patients.

I will tell you, in the early clinicals, it seemed like wiping butts was all we did. And of course I looked forward to the day when I could pass it off to others - however, a nurse who thinks she is above it all and wants to delegate all the lowly tasks will probably find herself wiping even more butts - because the aides know who they are! If you are the type of nurse who is willing to roll up your sleeves and get dirty with the aides, they will go out of their way to help you when you need it....but if you are the type who always wants to pass if all off on them, they will be nowhere to be found when you need some help.

Also, the best time to do a full assessment on a patient is while doing this type of care. Of course, there isn't time to thoroughly inspect every patient every day, but a nurse should consider toileting care a good time to take a peek and make sure there are no issues developing.