Some Nurses too Almighty?

[EbonyBorn2Succeed]

OK, so when did they pass the memo out that states if you're an lpn you don't have to bathe a pt? That really ****** me off. No one is too good to NOT bathe a pt.

[iNurseUK, RN]

True. No-one should be too posh to wash!

[AgentBeast, BSN, RN]

It's a problem in society in general. It isn't just limited to nursing.

[JDZ344]

I swear, if I hear one RN or student nurse say one more time 'But thats the Support workers job" in regards to feeding a patient, changing a bed, or getting a commode, I am going to flip my lid. Especilly when one RN who was sitting reading a newspaper and drinking tea on a night shift (and just had this one patient!) waited for half an hour for me to come back from sitting with another patient to tell me that bed 3 wanted help to walk to the bathroom. Yep, bed 3 had peed in the bed by this time.

/END VENT. (and kudos to all the GREAT, non lazy nurses I work with!)

[Fiona59]

I like it when the students state they will never work at the bedside. Then the posters here are all "go, girl, there are all sorts of nursing jobs where you don't have to do patient care".

Well, first you have to make it through nursing school and then find one of those jobs. In my part of the world, patient care nursing is by far the biggest employer. Homecare, are you going to refuse to help the patient to the toilet? Worst case scenario, you get one of those much discussed desk jobs, everyone knows you are a nurse, you're going to refuse to assist someone because you've got a desk job?

[iNurseUK, RN]

It begs the question why do you want to be a nurse if you don't want to do basic care? There's more to giving a wash than just hygeine. You get private time to chat with your patient, discuss concerns, assess mental status and alertness.

You can assess them top to toe, identify areas at risk of pressure damage, see if movement is deteriorating, have a good look at IV sites and much else.

I know we don't always have time for basic care but it is something that I enjoy doing.

[Rabid Response]

My ICU has no nurses aids, and I have never had anyone but me bathe my patients. It's an excellent way to assess them, and because of that I don't even feel comfortable having another nurse bathe my patient if I'm not around to help.

When I was a student I had a preceptor who was insulted at the very thought of giving baths. I mentioned to him once that our patient was looking very dirty and asked if we shouldn't try to bathe her before the shift ended. "I didn't go to school for five years to give BATHS!!!" he snapped at me. That same year I had a clinical instructor tell me that I was not to assist the nurses aids with bed baths during my clinicals since I was supposed to be "learning to delegate" those tasks.

[rnlately]

When I was in nursing school my instructor told me: "Anything a CNA/PCT does YOU can do also". Almost 4 years later and this statement has stuck with me. Does it make any sense to wait for assistive staff to toilet someone when you are right there in the room with them and have time????? Last shift one of the CNAs told me that I am almost the only nurse that will pitch in and help when I have time and that she really appreciates me. I'm of the opinion that if you have time to help somebody, anybody, then please pitch in; I don't care who you are.

[chloecatrn]

Nursing magazine actually published an article about this in 2004, and it's stuck with me for years, as I was required to read it in nursing school. I found a link to the full text here at "Too Posh to Wash?".

Any time I was caring for a total care patient, I always made sure to either do, assist with, or be present for the bath. It NEVER hurts to give a hand, but it's the best way to fully evaluate a patient's full body skin integrity. If your aide is washing four bodies that day, he or she might just forget to mention that reddened coccyx until it splits five days later.

Of course, I started as an aide, which I think changes my view of things a little.

[Nurseinprocess]

When I was in nursing school my instructor told me: "Anything a CNA/PCT does YOU can do also". Almost 4 years later and this statement has stuck with me. Does it make any sense to wait for assistive staff to toilet someone when you are right there in the room with them and have time????? Last shift one of the CNAs told me that I am almost the only nurse that will pitch in and help when I have time and that she really appreciates me. I'm of the opinion that if you have time to help somebody, anybody, then please pitch in; I don't care who you are.

I have issues with the support staff not wanting my (RN) help. Either it's I do it alone, or they do it alone, but I am not to ask them if they need my help. Figure that one out . Because me asking if they would like me to help them clean up a pt means I am delegating and unwilling to take on the task alone???? It's hard when I can do everything they do, but they cannot do everything I have to do.

[iNurseUK, RN]

Good article there.

I trained back in the Dark Ages when basic nursing care was important. I realise nursing has changed and it is all much more technical now but I retain the old-fashioned belief that you can give IV antibiotics till you are blue in the face but if you don't know that your patient has a broken pressure area it won't do much good.

One thing that really grinds my gears are nurses who don't take off a patient's compression stockings to check their heels. The amount of times I have found sore heels....

[cb_rn]

RE that post about student nurses saying they want a desk job that doesn't involve patient care...

How are you supposed to be able to get any experience to have a desk job if you don't do patient care first?

And...

Unless you're on your way to a code or other super high priority must-go situation, making someone wait to use the toilet is lame. End of story.