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.

[mindyfromcali]

Yeahhh, that doesn't sound like anything I ever had to do. We practiced our skills on eachother, and did do all of them, but there was never any water or clothes coming off. We learned bedpans but with our pants on and no bodily fluids tyvm!! Sorry to hear you got a nutjob for an instructor

[Desertrainfury]

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.

We originally were required to take our top off. I went to the Nursing Manager at the school and he said she has no authority to ask that of us. Lucky you! I wish they would of let us know when we were being registered just how well we would get to know our classmates.

[Desertrainfury]

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.

I agree.They also have every right to fail us if we refuse such a thing. I got it figured out. She has been demanding a lot of things that the nurse manager does not allow.

[Desertrainfury]

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!

I only hope you have a different attitude when it comes to taking care of a person who has the same issue I have.

[SlaveHeart]

I only hope you have a different attitude when it comes to taking care of a person who has the same issue I have.

I can see how you would have an issue with the instructor requiring you to take everything off. My point was that no one in my class had any problems giving partial bed baths because even though we 'disrobed' to preform them we were still wearing tank tops and small shorts so no one was violated. I am glad your director said that the instructor could not make you undress completely!

[LilacHeart]

I think the idea is outrageous!

When I was in school for my CMA (community college), we practiced EKGs on each other, but each bed was surrounded by a privacy curtain, we only worked on same sex, and we disrobed from the waist up in private (were allowed to keep our bra on) and donned paper gowns. Only when we said we were ready did the student performing the EKG enter the room along with an instructor. We also redressed in private.

It was grounds for dismissal from the program if we undressed or redressed without the instructor present, or if we were alone in the room with our "patient".

This of course was for the protection of all parties, including the school.

It went great and after the first time no one felt uncomfortable. By the time I had my 12th EKG I could have been naked for all I cared. LOL!

[mzrainydayz, BSN, RN]

I think that is going to extremes, this program is violating privacy rights of the students, they are setting themselves up for a lawsuit. In my nursing program, we can't bath each other, give shots, or start IVs on each other.

[LilacHeart]

In my MA program we did give each other injections in Pharm. We started out by giving ourselves subcutaneous injections which got everyone over any needle fear right away.