CNA Instuctor wants students to bath each other before real clinicals

[Desertrainfury]

Hello,

and HELP! I understand that it is good for students to practice clinical skills on each other before going to real clinicals and taking care of real people. However, my teacher wants opposite sex students to do a partial bath on each other. This includes washing from the face to the waist. I do not feel comfortable being bathed by the opposite sex and I explained my reasons to her. She basically laughed in my face and told me to get over it. She also said that if we couldn't deal with it she would fail us. I don't mind bathing anyone. I will practice the skill on any other student.I just don't feel comfortable being bathed by the opposite sex. As a patient, resident and client they all have rights to deny care from the opposite sex. Does my teacher have the right to override my rights and what can I do about it. I want to pass this class without going against my comfort zone.

[WannaBNursey, ADN, ASN, RN]

Is this a partial bed bath or are you taking your top off? If she wants to fail you then try to find another CNA school. I never got any of my class mates wet except for when doing nail care. We did bed baths on dummies.

[Flare, ASN, BSN]

This seems unreasonable to me if your instructor truly means to have you disrobe in front of your peers. In nursing school, we were requested to have our classmates do a breast exam, but were allowed to opt out if we chose to. To me, bathing a classmate is much more personal than doing a simple breast exam. Clarify with your instructor, if she persists, then speak to your dean of students or whoever is over her. You should not have to feel uncomfortable with your peer group.

[klhettinger]

That sounds crazy to me, we practiced all that stuff on the dummies in nursing school. The only thing we ever had to do to each other is glucose tests. My instructors never asked us to do anything like that and I don't think they would fail us for refusing that. I think that if you could leave a shirt and shorts on and have them just wash arms and legs, that would be reasonable. Even then, its just a bath and whether it is on a dummy or classmate, it is going to be different when you actually do it on a patient.

[SlaveHeart]

In my CNA class we gave each other partial bed baths. We were told to wear tank tops and boxer like shorts so that our partners could practice undressing the robe and dressing with a button up shirt as well as bathing one another. We did not actually bathe the other persons chest, just the areas not covered by the tank tops. The insturctor said something about how allowing another person to wash your armpits helps you see things from the patients perspective and understand what they will be going through. I don't see what the big deal is, it's not like you're doing peri care; now that we used the maniquins for!

[Desertrainfury]

Her original intent was to do a full partial bath which did include that. I spoke with the nurse manager and he said she has no authority to ask that of us.

[nguyency77, CNA]

There is not a reason on this planet that she would want you to get naked. Why would any nursing instructor take nearly a decade of their life to become an instructor, only to tell a bunch of CNA students to bathe each other for her enjoyment? Let's stop for a second and be logical. Its likely that you would just have to wear a 1-piece swimsuit

[SlaveHeart]

Her original intent was to do a full partial bath which did include that. I spoke with the nurse manager and he said she has no authority to ask that of us.

I'm sorry but could you please replace the word 'that' with what you intend to say. I get easily confused sometimes. No LPN or RN (I'm not sure which your instructor is) would risk loosing their license by asking students to get necked as part of class! What do you mean by a full partial bath? There is a full bed bath and there is a partial bed bath, right? I don't see anything wrong with asking students to preform partial bed baths on each other, it is something you will all have to do to real people with real emotions just like yours when you move on to clinical.

[Pattycakes85]

Omg this was what I was afraid of but in my class, the only thing that we are doing with each other are foot care, bed change, dental...and along those lines.

[breezycna]

This seems inappropriate to me. I don't think you should have to strip to finish your CNA course. Have another discussion with the nursing admin or someone in a position higher than your teacher who is capable of helping. Bed baths are not that difficult, and can be done on those intersex dummies. If your instructor wants you to get a "feel" for washing a live person, or being the one getting a bed bath, I understand washing arms and legs on classmates wearing tank tops and shorts but that's it. To understand catheter care, your instructor isn't going to cath you! To understand changing a brief, your instructor can't put a brief on you and then ask you to soil it! This is no different. You are not a resident and nobody in your class is a CNA yet. You will all get plenty of practice in clinicals, I guarantee it.

[hopeful2015]

I just finished my CNA training in May and we were NOT required to disrobe for anything including complete bed baths (which we did on the dummies) or partial bed baths. We shaved the face of the one male student in our class and washed each others faces, arms, hands and feet only. Breezycna is correct, you'll get plenty of practice bathing residents and much much more in clinicals.

[JDZ344]

Sorry, I think that's messed up. Where will it end? Do you practice giving a bedpan and you HAVE to use it? Practise peri-care on each other? I think you have every right to refuse to participate. You can practise the skill in clinical.

However, your refusal may end up with you failing the class.