bed making class?

colleen10 · Sep 4, 2003

Todd,

A lot of my classmates have a similar attitude/idea about being an RN and what you should and should not be responsible for as in they don't believe that they should have to learn and do bad bathes, bed making, etc.

I on the other hand don't and I'll tell you why.

First, you may be the RN and have Aides, Techs or LPN's assisting you but ultimately that patient is your responsiblity. If an Aide misses something and you don't catch it and god forbid something goes wrong with your patient whether it be serious and life threatening to something very basic, it is still your responsibility and may affect your plan of care, etc. Now, what RN want's to have to make up a whole new care plan for something that could have easily been avoided :eek:

Let's say for instance, the bed was incorrectly made by the Aide, what sorts of problems could you encounter that would negatively affect the patient? Well, if the linens were bunched up or if you had a too many bed pads your patient may have skin shearing and develop bed sores.

Also, as the RN you will be doing a lot of "Thinking" but don't forget that you are also responsible for facilitating a therapeutic relationship with your patient. Even though you may not always have the time to do so, when you do have the time you should be interacting with that patient to develop that relationship and making sure that all of their needs (tangible/physical and emotional/psycho-social) are being met. What better way to develop that caring, helping relationship than providing even basic care to them like bed making and bed bathes. It gives you one-on-one time with the patient and shouldn't just be seen as a task but an opportunity to speak/interact with the patient.

Last, there will be times when you are short an Aide or other staff and you will just have to pitch in and help as best as you can. Is it fair to the patient that they have to sit in dirty or soiled linens because the floor is short staffed but the nurse doesn't think that it is their duty to take care of basic and menial tasks?

I'm not trying to sound harsh or be a meanie but there is some point and wisdom in teaching RN's all these basics. You just have to look at it from a couple different points of view. It's hard at this point I know, we are learning the very basics and fundamentals right now and it isn't always easy at this stage of school to put it all together.

Nurse2bSandy · Sep 4, 2003

From the point of a patient... I can't tell you how wonderful a freshly changed bed feels when you spend so much time there!

I, too, don't plan on being a "housekeeper"... but being a mom, I know that there are plenty of jobs that come with any title!

I have thought lately how my attitude towards bed changing has softened since I first started to train when I was 18... and that softening came from being a patient. It is a humbling, sometimes humiliating, experience and requires compassionate, empathetic caring from a nurse. Now, I realize that my job will require me to take care of whatever my patient needs to feel more comfortable... and being a trained professional, I will know how to provide that!

Good luck, Todd!

Marie_LPN, RN, LPN, RN · Sep 4, 2003

Housekeeping doesn't stand on the floors 24/7 waiting to make a bed. We had a nurse page housekeeping to come up and change someone's sheets, i find this out 35 minutes AFTER i'd already made the bed and had the pt. back in it.

Bedmaking can be done by anyone in my facility, way over half the time it's done by the RN or LPN when you have up to 3 CNA's for 40 rooms. Besides, it takes all of 10 minutes at the most.

Reesa23 · Sep 5, 2003

Don't feel bad. I get mad every shift I have at the hospital as a CNA. After I feed someone, it's also my job to take out the trash in every room.

acaringnurse · Sep 5, 2003

todd,

bedmaking and baths usually provide good opportunities for assessing patients. try to think in this manner.

goober4699 · Sep 5, 2003

It is sooooo funny that this is being brought up. I had a class with a girl last semester who was absolutely sure she wanted to be a nurse (I at the time was undecided about my career) We got to talking and we started to discuss all the jobs that nurses had to do and how I wasn't sure if it was enough money to do them (I have been a unit clerk for 3 years hence I have a birds eye view) I started talkign about how they give baths and wipe patients and she started getting really cocky in a know it all way. (she has never ever worked in her life, let alone in a hospital mind you) She was like "um... I think you may be confused, RN's are not responsible for that type of work, what do you think CNA's are for?" I replied with well what do you do if there is no CNA, which will happen very very often, due to the need for one-one's, short staffing and sickness. She looked at me kind of dumbfounded and told me it wasnt in the job descriptions she had viewed. I responded with "yea well when I started as a clerk: giving boosts, bedside stocking, transporting patients and running blood to the lab wasnt either. but I have done it more times then I can count in the past three years." I think she really started to understand what nursing was really about after that. My rather long point is that nursing is not a glamorous job, it requires alot of dirty tasks but if you love what you do and understand that this is a helping profession then you will feel rewarded. I hate to seem rude but if you feel as if making beds is below you, then nursing probably isnt for you. We tend to talk alot about the nurses who are so lazy they go looking for a clerk/tech to do a job they could easily do (my fave is stamp up progress notes lol) and not to mention are getting paid alot more for. Nurses are responsible for everything related to patient care, hence the name nursing.

Louie18 · Sep 5, 2003

But LTC care sucks.

I'm Louie

Rapheal · Sep 5, 2003

Todd,

When you are an RN you will be responsible for all the care of your patients. Some times you will work without an aide. There are incontinent patients and not all of them will be wearing Depends. You will need to change their beds. By practicing making an occupied bed you will learn how to avoid injury to yourself and how to increase your patient's comfort during this process. A bed making class may seem like a waste of time when you are also trying to learn the nursing process, memorize lab values, and learn the pathophysiology of diseases. But in the long run you will appreciate knowing how to do it right. Good luck in school.

Shamrock, BSN, RN · Sep 5, 2003

In the "real" world you should be making beds. If you want any

support from your team members you will need to show them that you are able to do the dirty work too. Doesn't mean you'll

have to that much, but it does earn respect.

If you hate bed making 101 so much, wait till to get to hand washing 101.

Ortho_RN · Sep 5, 2003

I agree with everyones posts... You know you can't depend on everyone else to do the "lil" stuff for you.... I work as a CNA/PCA and there are MANY times that I need help changing a bed with a 300+lb person in it who just had hip surgery... So I go get the RN to help me... It is HER/HIS patient, and while we are in there she looks at their bottoms and back, and I won't tell you how many bedsores we have found just by changing sheets... So we were able to prevent them from getting big...

Good luck on the rest of the skills

Marie_LPN, RN, LPN, RN · Sep 5, 2003

Originally posted by Shamrock
If you hate bed making 101 so much, wait till to get to hand washing 101.

OMG, handwashing. I know it's extremely important, but i get so tired of hearing that in any sort of skills film we watch. If they'd cut out the tape everytime where they' said "wash your hands" thay'd have enough to make a handwashing tape as well.

Not to mention Mr. Maslow, his needs, critical thinking, and the nursing process. I have 5 subjects, and we're all covering and testing on this for each subject. For the second year in a row.

twarlik · Sep 5, 2003

I just love how after making one comment regarding my distaste for bed making, then suddenly "nursing isn't for me." Let me say a few things. I realize that nursing isn't glamorous work. I realize that it can be a nasty, dirty job. I did a lot of research before making the decision to go back to nursing school. I am aware of what it entails.

For the last five years I've been working in an office environment. I understand the concept of teamwork probably better than anyone in my office. Even when I was in a senior position, I didn't think twice about sitting at the reception desk to answer phones why the receptionist was at lunch.

I realize that to some of you I'm just a young, dumb kid of 26. But in reality, I am a young professional who is in the middle of changing directions in my life. After reading my original post, I realize now that I perhaps came off as being a little unrealistic of my expectations. The truth is, I was tired and frustrated. You'll see that the post was written at 11:14 pm. Well, I had been at class all day. I should have just shared my frustrations with my partner and gone to bed. Of course, I chose to come here instead. Obviously not a good idea.

Again, I appreciate everyone's comments. Please remember that you can never judge a person based upon one post to this board. My reasons for going into nursing are many and intensely personal. It's been something I've thought about for many years but only recently had the courage to pursue.