How much poop/puke/cleaning of bodily fluids is there in nursing school?

Nursing Students General Students

Published

Hey all. I'm starting in September and just want to know what I should be preparing myself mentally for. How much poop/puke/pee etc is involved? Is it a daily basis thing or just once in a while?

I'm not totally averse to it, just want to start getting prepared. =)

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

If you give kayexalate, be ready for an explosive, huge, imminent bm.

I had a patient who glugged his kayexalate in about 2 seconds while my back was turned. He puked it all back up 5 minutes later. Sigh.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Pediatrics, Women’s Health.

OP, the reason for the negative reactions is that all of us have either gone to school or worked with someone who is either totally grossed out by or thinks they are too good to clean up sh*t. Nobody likes or respects those people. Especially when patients are incontinent, it's a really embarrassing situation for them and it needs to be handled gracefully.

That being said, before I had ever wiped an ass, I was similarly frightened. But once you do it, you'll realize it's nowhere near as bad as it sounds. There are MUCH worse things. And really, you will eventually come to the realization that nothing is so bad as long as you have your gloves on. As for an estimate of how often you will do this, no one can say. The only thing that's for certain is that you WILL be doing it. Those first few times are a little off-putting, but if you genuinely care about your patients, your desire to help them and preserve their dignity will override any thoughts of "ick".

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in CRNA, Finally retired.
Well that's the way they set up advance practice programs. I know many GOOD CRNA programs that require 1-2 yrs and many are starting to do 2+ minimum. I also believe that NP programs should require at least 1-2 yrs of practice.

What a CRNA school REQUIRES and what it ACCEPTS are two different things. Average years of experience for CRNA students is 5 to 7 years. And with our reluctance to close the CRNA puppy mills (expecially in the South) jobs are becoming increasingly difficult to find.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in critcal care, CRNA.

What a CRNA school REQUIRES and what it ACCEPTS are two different things. Average years of experience for CRNA students is 5 to 7 years. And with our reluctance to close the CRNA puppy mills (expecially in the South) jobs are becoming increasingly difficult to find.

I understand that there is a difference in what schools REQUIRE and what they ACCEPT.

Yeah I wasn't sure but it looks ridiculous when I cap words and assume you can't understand just by reading it like the intelligent person you probably are.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Psych ICU, addictions.

OP: depends on where you are working/doing clinicals and what is going on that day. In psych, I don't often encounter body fluids/products--vomit is the most common, especially if working with CD patients that are detoxing. But instead of cleaning patients up, it's more therapeutic for us to encourage them to clean themselves up (i.e., promoting ADLs).

However when I do encounter body fluids/products, I encounter then in new and exciting ways. Did you know they can be used as war paint?

I kid you not. And sorry if I've turned anyone's appetites sour...imagine how mine crashed as it was my patient.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

You can be as involved as you want or not, in nursing school. There were classmates that would hide, scamper, or in other ways, become invisible, if there was a suspicion that a patient had a BM. It was frustrating because I would not, and usually be left alone to clean and change sheets. And you know what? There was a reason I was hired among the first in my class in acute care. People notice how involved you are, and how much of a team player you will be.

Poop, vomit, urine, sputum, and blood don't bother you as much if you make it a point to expose yourself to it often. If you make it a big thing in your mind, that's what it will become.

Just think of the person if it was your family member or loved one. It makes it easier.

Oh and to add: you can be as involved as you want when you are a nurse too. There are some nurses who are known hand off poo lakes in between their patients legs. It's a shame! Poor patients!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Early Intervention, Nsg. Education.

My friend's teenage son is alive and well because of a psych NP who had a strong APRN knowledge base on top of the child/family therapy techniques...

14y.o. with Aspergers, had a "rage attack" at school, scratched several classmates and destroyed some stuff in the room...went to the ER, had a psych eval by at least 3 psych residents and was kept overnight for obs, medicated for anxiety, etc.

Discharged in the morning, was able to get him in to see a NP for family therapy to address multiple issues at home, had a "meet and greet" with the NP before heading home. Kid walked into the office, NP noticed very mild unilateral neglect, slight facial droop, Mom said "He gets like that if he gets Ativan" but NP wasn't reassured by full neuro check...

Turned out the kid had an aneurysm. Head MRI several years ago was clear.

Knowledge of family therapy techniques, psych pathophysiology, pharmaceuticals? Wonderful.

Knowledge of "The whole package?" PRICELESS.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
My friend's teenage son is alive and well because of a psych NP who had a strong APRN knowledge base on top of the child/family therapy techniques...

14y.o. with Aspergers, had a "rage attack" at school, scratched several classmates and destroyed some stuff in the room...went to the ER, had a psych eval by at least 3 psych residents and was kept overnight for obs, medicated for anxiety, etc.

Discharged in the morning, was able to get him in to see a NP for family therapy to address multiple issues at home, had a "meet and greet" with the NP before heading home. Kid walked into the office, NP noticed very mild unilateral neglect, slight facial droop, Mom said "He gets like that if he gets Ativan" but NP wasn't reassured by full neuro check...

Turned out the kid had an aneurysm. Head MRI several years ago was clear.

Knowledge of family therapy techniques, psych pathophysiology, pharmaceuticals? Wonderful.

Knowledge of "The whole package?" PRICELESS.

Amen! Glad you had a good NP on that!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Pediatrics, Emergency, Trauma.
My friend's teenage son is alive and well because of a psych NP who had a strong APRN knowledge base on top of the child/family therapy techniques...

14y.o. with Aspergers, had a "rage attack" at school, scratched several classmates and destroyed some stuff in the room...went to the ER, had a psych eval by at least 3 psych residents and was kept overnight for obs, medicated for anxiety, etc.

Discharged in the morning, was able to get him in to see a NP for family therapy to address multiple issues at home, had a "meet and greet" with the NP before heading home. Kid walked into the office, NP noticed very mild unilateral neglect, slight facial droop, Mom said "He gets like that if he gets Ativan" but NP wasn't reassured by full neuro check...

Turned out the kid had an aneurysm. Head MRI several years ago was clear.

Knowledge of family therapy techniques, psych pathophysiology, pharmaceuticals? Wonderful.

Knowledge of "The whole package?" PRICELESS.

^THIS...it ALWAYS about the fundamentals of nursing...ALWAYS. :yes:

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Wow, this topic is heated!! I want to be an NP one day as well. Preferably a family or women's health NP. My plan is to go straight after nursing school. I choose this because I am single not yet married and when I have a family, I want to be done with school. My ideal age at having a child is about 27, I am 22 now. I plan on going part-time maybe. DNP program lasts 3 years. I plan on working the entire time. If I go part-time, it will take longer which will equal me having more years of experience as an RN. I agree with a lot of the previous posts. I just think it is essential to be a bedside before calling the shots. I say that because I see Dr's calling the shots yet don't really care about what nurses go through during the day. I can't stand that and I feel like if you are a nurse at first, you will have compassion and understanding about the nurses role in the healthcare system. I want to be NP because of that. I want to be the NP who sits down with them and truly cares about their needs and concerns about their condition. I have had too many doctors even look at me and talk to me for like 5 minutes and say see ya like I am just another person. This is why I feel like it is essential to be a bedside nurse. You'll know how to actually be there for a patient because you've been in that role before. Everyone's view is different though, and I respect that. I would prefer the NP that was a nurse for 5-10 years prior to being an NP.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Medsurg/ICU, Mental Health, Home Health.

What is the big deal about cleaning up poop? I don't get it.

I'd rather wipe a butt than kiss one, and I think the "customer service" requirement for nursing is far grosser than any C-Diff code brown I've encountered!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in geriatrics.

Ultimately, it's a personal decision.

However, the NP role was designed for advanced practise. Reliable assessments lead to better patient outcomes, but you can't accurately assess without the knowledge and experience. Certain things cannot be learned through schooling alone.

Puke and poop happen, but if this is what's deterring someone from bedside whose goal is advanced practise....well consider the big picture. Furthermore, many NP positions require 3-5 years bedside experience in addition to the schooling. Fast tracking only limits the job possibilities.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Add a Comment