HELP! I DON"T WANT TO GO THROUGH CNA first...

TazziRN, RN · Feb 7, 2007

I think we're :deadhorse here. LF says we're not understanding what she's trying to say, we all say she's not listening to us. It's gotten to the point where both sides are beyond listening to each other.

pacifica · Feb 7, 2007

I can't hold back any longer. This thread is frustrating, mainly because the OP has received so many well-written thoughtful replies, yet she continues to be so flippant and condescending.

OP, you keep saying that you

just don't dream of making a living out of changing briefs all day.

This quote alone indicates that you have little clue what CNAs and RNs do in their respective jobs. CNAs do much more than "change briefs" all day long and I think it is very disrespectful (not to mention ignorant) that you continue to imply that to be true.

FYI, CNAs provide direct patient care in many different ways, including helping patients perform self-care, taking vital signs, helping patients ambulate and do ROM exercises, ensuring the patients receive proper nutrition, etc etc etc. All of these tasks are very important to the health of patients. Proper hygiene, including keeping the perineal area clean, is critical to prevent infections and maintain skin integrity. Elderly people in particular are vulnerable to nosocomial infections that can be fatal. Sorry if the poopy diapers are inconvenient for you but they may be a matter of saving someone's life, or at the very least preserving their health.

Your comments suggest that you may trivialize some very important tasks related to nursing care and it makes me wonder if you understand what a nurse does. I suggest you practice a little self-assessment and consider whether you understand and are willing to accept the responsibility of being a nurse.

lookingforward · Feb 7, 2007

it's not condescending it's called honesty! there are other ways of "saving lives" beside changing diapers as you stated! : )

carlaann12 · Feb 7, 2007

This is really not to put any profession down but I've dreamed of being a nurse for soooo long, now only to discover that before entering my LVN program, I have to get the CNA title first! I am horrified of having to do some of the tasks described! This is not whaat I dreamed of all these years, I was thinking more along the lines of changing newborn diapers, not old folk diapers! CAN ANYONE BRING ANY CONSOLATION?

I have my CNA/HHA and I love it. You get to work work one on one with patients and are really able to get to know them and take care of there needs. I am also going to school for my RN. You must be compassionate and be able to handle ALL tasks or otherwise how can you become a nurse. I would think about it longer if I were you. Being a nurse entails total care. I am soooo glad that I became a CNA/HHA and I love it and the realtionships with my patients are irreplacebale. I treasure all of them. You really have to be a certain kind of person to be a nurse. If you do not have that special something then find another profession.

Good luck to you.

SiempreBella · Feb 7, 2007

If you do not want to change briefs then guess what you do not have to. I bet they won't miss your pathetic self.

lookingforward · Feb 7, 2007

i'm still guessing siemprebella...

rags · Feb 7, 2007

all this is fine and dandy serousanguineous, but the reality is that you don't have to enjoy poop to be a good nurse! it is a rewarding profession but that's why there's a ladder to climb after cna! originally i was asking for consolation and let me tell you i have had as many "private" messages of consolation as these harsh ones you have read on this thread! i will emphasize private. why because ppl are afraid to be honest. just because you don't dream of cleaning poop all day doesn't mean you don't want to care for the elderly! i can handle blood and other body fluids but just don't dream of making a living out of changing briefs all day. it is true that going through cna school will allow me a heads-up on what it takes to be an rn, but i do feel that rns never intended to hold a nursing position working wih poop all day long, just my opinion! thanks for reading!

this post disappoints me and i have to say makes me a little worried. it seems to say that you don't think that current nurses that are doing what you plan to do in the future don't know what they are talking about and are just being mean to you. that is concerning... and not just a little bit.

yes, to be a good nurse you have to understand the cna role and be able to do it. you obviously have a misconception of the job a cna does. i personally am glad you are required to take the class and wish that your school required you to have at least 3 months experience of doing the job so you could understand it a little bit better.

here is the truth for you to do with what you will... an rn does everything a cna does and more. many times certain patients in the hospital environment even benefit from their rn "changing them" and cleaning them up when they have a bm. they have built (hopefully) a level of trust with their rn that they may not have had the opportunity to build with their cna for a variety of common reasons.

you honestly need to come off your horse and listen to what you are being told. it is not about glamour and glitz to be a nurse. it is about caring (100%) and being willing to do the yucky stuff as well. in order to succeed as a nurse and not have a horrible experience that could even result in the death (yes it can get that extreme) of a patient, you have to be willing to listen people who have been there.

it would appear that you not only have a misconception of what a cna does but you also have a misconception of what an rn does and that is sad being it is the career you have chosen to do and is one that involves other peoples lives... not just your own.

if this post has been misunderstood as well, please help me to understand what you are really trying to say.

i've also noticed on the site that people really don't feel they cannot 'be honest' and express their true feelings, so i am unsure as to why you feel this thread would be any different. :confused:

rags

istartcpr · Feb 7, 2007

Without "CNAS" the work would not get done period. CNA'S are our eyes and ears alot of the time... We work as a team and without all members of the team working together who would suffer?. The PATIENT! If you are not a team player please reconsider a different career path. As for me I value all members of our team notice I didn't use the word I, why because it's not about me, it's about patients...

twinmommy+2, ADN, BSN, MSN · Feb 7, 2007

What can one do to prevent from puking or gagging when cleaning poop or puke? I have a very sensitive stomach and gag when changing my child.
Please give me tips.

Defilnatly the vicks vapor rub under a mask would work. I have a pretty strong stomach and I'm able to get around it most of the time by breathing through my mouth instead of my nose. That and just the vision of me being one of the patient that I take care of every day with poop on my bottom and I'm pretty humble.

rags · Feb 7, 2007

lookingforward ~ If you find yourself in the situation of being an RN and need to clean up your poor pt that has had a horrible bout with their bowels, please PLEASE don't let your feelings show on your face or in your voice! It is horribly devistating to them and won't do much for your pt/nurse relationship.

You can 'dislike' it all you want but can NEVER let your pt know!

rags

Jelli_Belli · Feb 7, 2007

I think everyone is being a little harsh on looking forward... all she is saying is that she doesn't like changing briefs and aspires to do more with her life and career...not that she hates all old people who are incontinent and would let them lie in their own mess rather than clean it up.

I personally hate my clinicals because it seems like all we do is aide work. It is not that difficult to master and I got the system down two semesters ago...yet, still, everyday all I do is bed baths and linens changes with a few procedures thrown in every once in a while. I do what I have to with a smile because it isn't that patient's fault I'm not that into the traditional "nursing" care. I knew going into nursing school that I wouldn't really like clinicals because that isn't what I want to do with my degree. I have no desire to do bedside nursing. Psych is my area, I've worked in it for years, and I want to continue on with my education and become a nurse practioner or get involved in research. This is my path...everyone has to find their own. I think it is rather small minded to say that all nurses have to think one particular way.

I'll be more than happy when I graduate and never have to touch a brief again. Does that make me a bad person? I don't know maybe. I have so much respect and gratitude for those nurses and cna's out there that do that kind of work, and enjoy it. They are truly special people who deserve every happiness. Like I said everyone has their own path...I've had nursing students come to the psych hospital where I work and say that they don't know how we do it. They would much rather deal with body fluids and fecal matter all day then wrangle a psychotic who is bouncing off the walls, but that is what I love. To each their own.

With that said, looking forward, I would also offer you the advice that if you truly want to work with babies in the nursery you had probably better skip the LPN and get your RN. The hospitals in my area won't hire any LPNs and the ones that they grandfathered in all got forced to move to the Med\Surg floor. Good luck in whatever you decide to do.

Ann RN · Feb 7, 2007

it's not condescending it's called honesty! there are other ways of "saving lives" beside changing diapers as you stated! : )

I can't stand it anymore! It sounds to me like you think there is some glory side to nursing where the drama of "saving lives" brings you some type of accolade. I picture you in an unsuccessful code where you just walk away at the end, thinking your time is done with the patient. It's not. You may have to clean the patient. Please tell me I'm wrong.