bed making class?

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!

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.

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.

todd,

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

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.

But LTC care sucks.

I'm Louie

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

Todd,

I thought the bedmaking class was patronising in the extreme...and I fully appreciate that I have to make beds. I make my patient's bed at least once a shift in the ICU.