Taking out the trash

[VAC]

Are any of you expected to take out the trash at work? I'm not talking about picking up after yourself in general, but taking the bag of trash to the soiled utility room.

I got offended when a nurse that followed me felt the need to point out that the trash can in a paitent's room was full and the room a little untidy when I'd left the morning before. I asked if housekeeping wasn't around all day to do it. We are expected to put away soiled linen bags, and pick up after ourselves, but I draw the line at taking out the trash. Housekeeping seems to be stretched a little too thin.. For the record, the patient insisted he wanted to sleep, as he had just recovered from an episode of shortness of breath, so I chose not to make extra noise in the room making it pretty. My other patients room was left spotless however.

What would you think if you went to a dentist, lawyer or gynecologist and you saw them taking out the garbage at their place of business. Aren't we also professionals? Let me know if my thinking is off the wall before I fire off an E-mail to my manager. And thanks for letting me rant :angryfire

[fiestynurse]

I always had a housekeeper around that I could ask to do it. - "When you get a minute, could you empty the trash in so and so's room - Thanks!" Housekeeping knew that I was busy doing patient care and never had a problem with that.

[Marie_LPN, RN, LPN, RN]

IF housekeeping is there, that's one thing. I'd mention that the trash needed emptied in Room X. Night shift, we never see housekeeping, since they're all over the building cleaning rooms from late discharges. Lift the bag out, there's a roll of new ones in the bottom. All of 30 seconds. And a pt. that says "thank you".

Or a great idea that a housekeeper used to do on our floor before she retired. She put 5 bags, one inside the other lining the can. Lift one bag out, the other was already set up in the can. Less than 10 seconds. And a pt. that says "thank you".

Anyway, I'm not pushing for people (i say people because i have seen doctors empty the trash in their offices, and when they fill it after a procedure with a pt.) to empty the trash, but it's not right to leave it overflowing either. OR to just throw it in the FLOOR (throwing it in the floor just for someone else to come along and pick it up is flat-out RUDE. Would you do that in your own house? Then don't do that at work!).

[jnette, ASN, EMT-I]

IF housekeeping is there, that's one thing. I'd mention that the trash needed emptied in Room X. Night shift, we never see housekeeping, since they're all over the building cleaning rooms from late discharges. Lift the bag out, there's a roll of new ones in the bottom. All of 30 seconds. And a pt. that says "thank you".

Or a great idea that a housekeeper used to do on our floor before she retired. She put 5 bags, one inside the other lining the can. Lift one bag out, the other was already set up in the can. Less than 10 seconds. And a pt. that says "thank you".

Anyway, I'm not pushing for people (i say people because i have seen doctors empty the trash in their offices, and when they fill it after a procedure with a pt.) to empty the trash, but it's not right to leave it overflowing either. OR to just throw it in the FLOOR (throwing it in the floor just for someone else to come along and pick it up is flat-out RUDE. Would you do that in your own house? Then don't do that at work!).

Good post... gotta agree. :)

[Krissy NY]

I am a bit fuming today myself, which I will share in a new thread in just a bit.

Vac, I think I know how you feel. I think it is maybe because the nurse told you to empty the garbage. Sometimes nurses, in my experience, use their authority to humiliate CNA's. I have seen it and experienced it.

When I was a brand new CNA I had worked my but off all night when the night nurse came in (miserable as ever) and told me to "GO LOOK AT THE COMMODE IN THE BACK BATHROOM AND CLEAN IT!!!!" I went back there to find a tiny tiny speck on the underside of the seat. I cleaned it and never said a word about it.

Don't worry Veck. I also think it is very kind of you to consider the residents need for rest.

Krissy

[pepperbark]

I have emptied the trash cans in the patient's room but only if I have extra time. I am the case manager on the med-surg floor and do not expect any of the nurses or cna's to. We have housekeeping on the floor but sometimes don't get to all the rooms.

[Farkinott, RN]

I think that my fellow colleagues working in the USA need to stick up for their rights! Nurses are skilled professionals, not menial workers! If you continue to "not mind" doing other people's jobs on a regular basis you will forever be entrenched in a subservient role to our higher paid medial colleagues! Get a grip! Do you see physios, ocuppatonal therapists, slcial workers etc. "not minding" to take out the rubbish as it is offending their delicate nostrils?! Some of you guys need to put yourselves at the top of the ladder, not skimming the dregs from the bottom!

[Marie_LPN, RN, LPN, RN]

Do you see physios, ocuppatonal therapists, social workers etc. "not minding" to take out the rubbish as it is offending their delicate nostrils?! Some of you guys need to put yourselves at the top of the ladder, not skimming the dregs from the bottom!

I've seen all sort of occupations taking out their own trash. Their choice. Mine too.

BTW, what 'dregs' ARE at the bottom?

[leslie :-D]

i remember one time i got sooooooo upset when there was a huge, fecal mess on a pt's toilet. the housekeeper told me that once nursing removed the bulk of the stool, then housekeeping would come in to remove/clean the toilet seat. i got so flippin mad. when i was talking it over with my DON, she just looked at me like "why WOULDN'T you want to do this for your pt." it was just the way she said it that made me WANT to do it for my pt. and/or that it I, the nurse, was responsible for ensuring all good/clean outcomes. so those are the times that i don't mind. but again, if this was in my job description, i would tell them all to bark at the moon.

[Marie_LPN, RN, LPN, RN]

Every place i've worked at, the nurse or aide got rid of the "bulk", housekeeping cleaned afterwards.

[feb9822]

I see this discussion going much the way of other nursing issues. I have heard this one, as a matter of fact, for at least 15 years. If nurses would simply value themselves as much as they say they value their patients, this wouldn't even be an issue.

A hospital is staffed by multiple disciplines, not only nurses. If others that are responsible for performing duties to keep the patients comfortable are not showing the same dedication to their job as you are to yours, there is a deeper problem present than who takes the garbage out of the room! These issues must be discussed with the department heads over those employees. Yes, nursing must be represented, as I have seen hospitals that have actually put taking trash out as a nursing responsiblity. I would think they would realize that our knowledge is what they are paying us for, and find someone who will take out the trash for less money. Those floors who do take out the trash appear to have more staff than they need, if they indeed have time to do mindless tasks as trash collection rather than patient assessment, patient support, or teaching an inservice. These are the things I was trained to do that no one else in the hospital can do. I am not "beneath" emptying the trash, but I refuse to be taken into the pitfall of "she's too good to do this", I'm just trained in a different expertise. Maybe if we would do less enabling as nurses and grew a spine, we'd have a stronger profession!!

[leslie :-D]

we are prone to certain personality traits, aren't we? so true.

[CEO]

I think that my fellow colleagues working in the USA need to stick up for their rights! Nurses are skilled professionals, not menial workers! If you continue to "not mind" doing other people's jobs on a regular basis you will forever be entrenched in a subservient role to our higher paid medial colleagues! Get a grip! Do you see physios, ocuppatonal therapists, slcial workers etc. "not minding" to take out the rubbish as it is offending their delicate nostrils?! Some of you guys need to put yourselves at the top of the ladder, not skimming the dregs from the bottom!

Farkinott, your comment ...."offending their delicate nostrils?! .." is a bit contradictory don't you think? You are slinging off at the sometimes high and mightly attitudes of some of the different professionals that we work with by referring to their 'delicate nostrils'. We are all aware of this type of behaviour - we see it every day in a stuck-up surgeon or allied healh professional, YET you're suggesting that as nurses we start acting in this way too! Quite frankly, you would be a pain in the ar#$ to work with. Where do you get off thinking that you are above other people. Nurses have suffered long and hard from having to work with other professionals who believe that we should fall into line with a master-servant relationship. I'm damned if I'm going to perpetuate that system so that I treat others as if they are subserviant to me. As far as I'm concerned it is a team effort. Housekeeping staff, food services personnel are professionals as well. If your definition of a 'professional' is someone with a degree then think again. I've worked with highly educated people with all sorts of degrees and some of them can't walk and chew gum at the same time.