baths?

cardiacRN2006, ADN, RN · May 10, 2005

Wow! Thanks all for all the replies so far! It has been very helpful.
My main concern was washing men (being a man) which would be odd.
I suppose washing the elderly is a bit funky too.
There are nursing positions such as ER and OR where I would only have to prep the patient and not bathe them right? I'm not looking to be a nurse who does rounds per say. I've always been facinated by operating rooms and such.

Yep! If your pt is going to the cath lab then you must do a bilat groin shave. But if your pt has had an accident and you send them up to the floor covered in vomit or feces, then you wont make a lot of friends in that hospital.

Brotherbob, BSN, RN · May 10, 2005

Just get used to giving baths, a lot less trouble that trying to avoid it.

KXMc · May 10, 2005

You should probably try becoming a CNA while you're a student. You will get a lot of experience bathing there. I really don't think there are many jobs where you won't come in contact with some form of your underlying worries. You might want to try just doing it to see if you can get over it, or perhaps a different career field would be better for you...

Ken!

Kabin · May 10, 2005

This is an interesting topic and I can see it both ways. I'd still rather minimize my bathing time experiences with the patient. I can only imagine how uncomfortable I would feel being bathed as a patient and it only makes me more uncomfortable as the bather. Of couse, tasks we feel uncomfortable with, such as public speaking, can always be worked through. I can hardly wait to complete my clinicals and finally know where I will feel most effective.

mcmike55 · May 13, 2005

Wow! Thanks all for all the replies so far! It has been very helpful.
My main concern was washing men (being a man) which would be odd.
I suppose washing the elderly is a bit funky too.
There are nursing positions such as ER and OR where I would only have to prep the patient and not bathe them right? I'm not looking to be a nurse who does rounds per say. I've always been facinated by operating rooms and such.

Rox: Speaking as an OR, part time ER RN, poo happens, barf happens, baths happen there too! As others have said, not full baths, but, hey.

It seems to me that you are really getting hung up on this bath thing. As you become a student nurse, I think you'll find that A) baths are not that big of a deal and B) there are MANY other things that ARE a big deal. Not being in the profession yet, I think you need to relax and go with it. You have a preconcieved notion, and are already figuring out where you are going to work after you've graduated.....and you haven't started yet!!!!

Some of the others, in my mind, are right on the money. Get a job as a nursing tech, PCA, what ever you call an aid or orderly in your area. My daughter is about to graduate, and that's what she did, and has not regretted it. You should learn the job from the beginning, to become a well rounded nurse. Many times, unfortunately, the RN has been pulled from the bedside for various reasons...and that's sad. Bath time is a great time to knnow your patient. Talk to them, listen, watch for skin breakdown, etc. Granted I have not done a full bed bath longer than many of you have been alive...but that' another story! :chuckle

My advice, get a aid type job, keep your mind open, and keep your options open, don't burn any bridges as you go....you may need to cross back over one someday in a big hurry!! :chuckle

Oh and by the way....welcome to nursing! Good luck!! Mike

ryanfocker · May 13, 2005

dude, its really not a big deal, you just run a rag over somebody's body.

roxburin · May 13, 2005

Thanks everyone.

I guess I'm trying to judge the pros and cons of a career change.

I defintely want a rewarding job where I can actually see the results.

Helping people would be nice. I've been isolated in a cubicle all my life which

gets old. I don't see myself doing that my entire life.

Anyway, maybe I should be asking about all the cons that may happen as a nurse then? If there is an angle to it because I'm a man then that would be great. If not then please post anyway - any more feedback from you guys would be great.

Lys · May 13, 2005

Rox,

Congrats firstly on considering your career change...it is a big step, and you're certainly right to look into it before jumping ;-)

I'm a recent grad, (yes female, so I may give a diff. point of view than yours...but here's my .02)

Nursing is about care of the *whole* person, not just their incision site, their IV line, or their EKG strip. Just as "health" is a state of physical, mental, and spiritual well-being, nursing takes into account all of these things. Yes, you want your patient healthy from a medical standpoint, but you also want their physical comfort, dignity, emotional needs, and many other needs to be met - and you're the guy to help them be met.

To me, (maybe I'm young and naive, who knows) nursing has no "cons" per se. The job is great...I love what I do. The slightly bad things are the shifts the catty co-workers, the seeming lack of respect that nurses occasionally get, and the grumpy people you can encounter (these are all deal-able). Granted yes, having to pull back someone's ucky foreskin to put in a catheter *does* suck, as does having to wipe dried-on crusty feces off of someones overgrown pubic hair (yes, I'm being overly-graphic to prove a point...but still truthful :rolleyes: ), having to put your arm into someone's tummy "folds" to clean them, and gagging while your client pukes into the basin you're holding. BUT...it's worth it. By doing those things, you're helping your clients because they often can't do it for themselves. Often they may not thank you outwardly, but seeing them comfortable and healing says it all.

I won't even venture into the areas of emotional health while people are ill (etc) because that's a whooolllee nother post, but I'm sure you get the drift of what I'm saying!

I wish you the best of luck in whatever choice you make (I totally wanna plug nursing here...if you make it through school, there are SO many opportunities available to you!)

Lys :balloons:

Tony35NYC · May 14, 2005

dude, its really not a big deal, you just run a rag over somebody's body.

I totally agree. At the begining of the nursing process clinicals, giving bed baths seemed like a 'production' in itself---you have to fold the wash cloth this way, and you have to wipe the skin that way, and the water has to be 'x' temperature... PLEASE! By the time you're midway through the program you'll realize that nobody cares how you give a bed bath (as long as the patient is kept safe) and, even as a student, when you get up to three or more patient assignments in clinicals, you have no choice but to learn how to do these baths quickly and efficiently so you can get your assessments and your meds done on time. The first bed bath I gave took almost an hour. Now I do them in 10 minutes tops, and that includes skin moisturizer and a back rup. And if I'm giving a shampoo the bag is on the patient's head first thing. Gender usually becomes an issue only if the patient brings it up, and most of the time they are either too sick to care or don't care one way or the other. Of course, the ones that are able to even partially bathe themselves should be encouraged to do it. I found that most people who are able to do so prefer to wash their own privates (I always ask my patients).

Its a routine part of nursing to examine, touch, clean, and apply treatments to both the front and rear private areas of your patients. Its no big deal. All you have to do is make sure you provide privacy for the patient, explain what you're going to do to the patient, and conduct yourself professionally during the procedure.

Brotherbob, BSN, RN · May 15, 2005

I defintely want a rewarding job where I can actually see the results.

Hey, then bathing is for you!!! Results can seldom be seen as clearly as when cleaning up somebodys mess.:)

cardiacRN2006, ADN, RN · May 16, 2005

Hey, then bathing is for you!!! Results can seldom be seen as clearly as when cleaning up somebodys mess.:)

That is true...Some pts are sooooo grateful for just a little sponge bath. Imagine how painful it is to stay in bed for weeks, and how miserable it feels to be greasy and filthy. Just a 5 minute bath with a little backrub could mean the world to them. We use comfort baths (which I love!!!) and when I bathe their back, I just rub a little harder. You don't have to get out the river rocks and oil to incorporate a back rub!

nursemike, ASN, RN · May 17, 2005

My first bath was a nice, older gentleman. I did a total bath, head-to-toe, including peri-care. I was nervous, but we got through it, and he was both patient and co-operative. After the bath, I explained to him that I would roll him to one side, tuck his linens under him, then roll him back and pull them through, just like they taught us. He nodded and replied, "OK, but wouldn't it be easier if I just got up and sat in that chair?"

An early and poignant reminder that assessment is the first step in the nursing process...

Baths aren't bad. The first couple are awful, but over time you get to enjoy them. It's a good way to assess skin, ROM, etc., and as time goes by you begin to treasure the opportunity to do things you know how to do. (Not that it isn't fun doing new stuff, too.)