DO NOT pass on the poop

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Hi gang! I've been an RN for almost 3 years now. My first two years was spent in a medical clinic and now a brand new ER nurse. My training has been going well and I've been confident with my progress in the ER until I made the huge mistake of leaving poop cleaning for the next nurse on shift. Call me an idiot but I had no idea that doing so was a NO, NO! I'm certain that it was the headline of the day. In the clinic, I was often delegated to deal with enemas and manual disimpactions so it didn't seem like a big deal to me to inform the next nurse 5 minutes before my shift was over that changing was needed. Following that incident, I was told that passing on the poop is not proper nursing etiquette. Call it a case of common sense not so common. I'm thoroughly embarressed and now that I think about it, I can understand that it was not cool for me to do that. I did speak with that nurse and apologized and cleared the air. But still...if I was delegated that task by a nurse whose 12 hour shift was just about over, I would gladly do so with no complaint. I would appreciate any thoughts anyone might have about this and any other common nursing etiquette no-no's that would help me survive my new position in the ER. Thanks in advance!

"Irregardless" is not a word.

Sadly, it is indeed a word.:no:

Anyway, sounds like the OP gets the point!

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ok, people! I think OP has gotten the point!

THANK YOU!

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i agree this is poor practice.

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Specializes in Pediatrics, Emergency, Trauma.
ok people! I think OP has gotten the point![/quote']

...that doesn't mean the thread will stop...it has a mind of its own, unless it gets old, irrelevant or the OP notifies admin...otherwise, the show must go on, even without the OP, or others who can choose to unsubscribe from the thread... :whistling:

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It is sad how so many people here feel the need to reiterate what has been said x1000. She gets it!! Move on......

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Ortho, ASC.
It is sad how so many people here feel the need to reiterate what has been said x1000. She gets it!! Move on......

I think people don't always read all the answers. They just hit "Comment" and skip right past them.

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Specializes in CCRN, ED, Unit Manager.

Well, jeez, leaving a patient to be sitting in their own filth for any amount of time that isn't absolutely necessary is not very good patient care. I'm glad there's a topic about it, though -- because some people might not really know.

I've shadowed ER nurses that leave patients dirty and send them up to the med surge floor to be cleaned. :-(

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Specializes in Orthopedic, LTC, STR, Med-Surg, Tele.

I've shadowed ER nurses that leave patients dirty and send them up to the med surge floor to be cleaned. :-(

I hate to stereotype floor vs. ED or wherever but I've gotten a couple of patients with poop up to their shoulderblades or with briefs disintegrating from so much urine. They didn't get like that in the elevator on the way up. :mad:

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Specializes in hospice.

Yeah, I work in hospice inpatient units. Many times we will get a transfer straight from an ER, and the patient comes with BM on board so often it's a running joke. And no, they didn't do it in the ambulance on the way over. We all know what it looks like and smells like when it's hours old.

And just so I'm not picking on ED, a lot of our hospital transfers come in like this, from the floors too. I will tell you that acute care facilities don't have a good reputation where I work.

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Urg Care, LTC, Rehab.

Wow, sounds like all of you are perfect nurses, have perfect shifts, perfect staffing, perfect policies on overtime...

Of course, it's not good nursing to leave someone lying in poop or to pass on a sh*tty job to oncoming staff, but everyone is railing on the OP like she's the most horrible nurse ever. Every place I've ever worked is usually short-staffed and everyone is crunched for time. My most recent hospital job had an incredibly strict overtime policy too and also forbidden to punch out and finish working. The last "shift change poop situation" I encountered was not even my patient. I was walking on the way to give report to oncoming staff and a pt's dtr came out to say her mom had to use the bathroom. Dtr was irate, call light had already been dinging for 10 minutes. CVA pt, 2 person transfer, aphasic, fully dressed in rehab setting. I couldn't find any help due to shift change, the dtr absolutely refused to wait for me to find help so she and I got her on the toilet. Totally unsafe... 15 minutes later I go out to give report and guess what? The oncoming nurse is mad at me because now she is getting report late and now her shift is starting out bad. And of course I had to stay even later and fill out paperwork stating why I was on overtime...

Bottom line is we have got to be forgiving to our coworkers! Most of us are working our orifices off and giving the best care we can. Stuff is always going to be left undone, it's just the nature of the beast. The job is hard enough without nurses turning on each other.

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Specializes in progressive care telemetry.
I hate to stereotype floor vs. ED or wherever but I've gotten a couple of patients with poop up to their shoulderblades or with briefs disintegrating from so much urine. They didn't get like that in the elevator on the way up. :mad:

Ditto from my now former facility. I could count on one hand the number of times in 3 years a pt had been toileted or cleaned up while in the ER. Most of them had to use the bathroom immediately on arrival to the floor or were so wet/dirty they needed a linen change and full bath. The running joke was that our ER never looked below the waist...

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Wow. Irregardless IS a word. I've goofed on that word for years. Turns out the goof is me. :laugh:

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