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

chrisrn24 · Jul 12, 2013

Oh fergawdsake. I don't think it's fair to let this newbie think she'll be cleaning up BM and other excreta/ejecta every single clinical day. I did clinicals 3 days/week for three years in my BSN program and I didn't come close to every day. OP, you'll have good time to learn other things. Why is it that if you say "nurse" so many people automatically say "bedpan"? [/quote']
You're right.
But at work as an actual nurse I do it everyday. If it makes you nervous perhaps work as a CNA first and see if you can handle it.

priorities2 · Jul 12, 2013

Chrisrn, I know I can handle it. I mean, I don't know, I feel your tone is a little judgmental/dismissive (it could just be the effect of the interwebs). I just was looking for factual information--how often does poop cleaning come up in nursing school (not everyone who goes to RN school plans to work as an RN for an extended period of time in an inpatient setting). Like once every clinical, twice every clinical, twice every other clinical.

loriangel14, RN · Jul 12, 2013

Oh, fergawdsake. I don't think it's fair to let this newbie think she'll be cleaning up BM and other excreta/ejecta every single clinical day. I did clinicals 3 days/week for three years in my BSN program and I didn't come close to every day. OP, you'll have good time to learn other things. Why is it that if you say "nurse" so many people automatically say "bedpan"?

True it won't be every day. But then again I have heard future nurses say " Oh I'm going to be an RN, I'll just get an aide to all the dirty work".

priorities2 · Jul 12, 2013

True it won't be every day. But then again I have heard future nurses say " Oh I'm going to be an RN, I'll just get an aide to all the dirty work".

I mean, I don't plan to work as an RN much. Some people go to BSN school because they want to work in policy, CRNA or NP or PA. I never said anything about getting an aide to do any work. I just wanted to know an accurate, specific estimate of how often cleaning poop comes up in nursing school.

ixchel · Jul 12, 2013

Someone said this question gets posed roughly every week. To that person, I'm sorry for doubting you. lol

OP, if you can't handle some fluids and excretions, get out now.

Eta: I understand that your final destination isn't bedside nursing, but you will need to reach an acceptable comfort zone with all areas in patient care. It's not just the fact that you're physically wiping poop off a patient. It is learning to care for a person in a very undignified moment while still preserving their dignity. It is learning about body excretions and what the quality of those things can indicate. No one LIKES vomit. But if you can't bring yourself to care for a vomiting patient, you are going to struggle with this stop along the way to that final destination.... Especially if you have to work as an RN for any length of time before finishing grad school. No, you may not be exposed daily. But you will be exposed, and if you don't handle those moments with respect and professionalism, you will lose points in clinical, and your patient will ultimately suffer. It's hard enough to be in their shoes without having a nursing student not treat them with dignity.

loriangel14, RN · Jul 12, 2013

Well you will encounter some in school but like others have said, not every day.To move up the ladder you will have to get some nursing experience under your belt first.

manusko · Jul 12, 2013

Chrisrn I know I can handle it. I mean, I don't know, I feel your tone is a little judgmental/dismissive (it could just be the effect of the interwebs). I just was looking for factual information--how often does poop cleaning come up in nursing school (not everyone who goes to RN school plans to work as an RN for an extended period of time in an inpatient setting). Like once every clinical, twice every clinical, twice every other clinical.[/quote']
Oh we all hate it but it comes with nursing. In school I mostly dealt with bedpans, when I dealt with poop at all. In my final semester I did a lot more bc I was in the ICU. We had bowel movements, C-diff (lots of fun), and even huge clots from the rectum. It's just the luck of the draw. Some classmates barely had to clean-up a pt.

ChooSoul · Jul 12, 2013

Don't worry you'll get used to it after the first week of clinicals

priorities2 · Jul 12, 2013

Someone said this question gets posed roughly every week. To that person, I'm sorry for doubting you. lol
OP, if you can't handle some fluids and excretions, get out now.
Eta: I understand that your final destination isn't bedside nursing, but you will need to reach an acceptable comfort zone with all areas in patient care. It's not just the fact that you're physically wiping poop off a patient. It is learning to care for a person in a very undignified moment while still preserving their dignity. It is learning about body excretions and what the quality of those things can indicate. No one LIKES vomit. But if you can't bring yourself to care for a vomiting patient, you are going to struggle with this stop along the way to that final destination.... Especially if you have to work as an RN for any length of time before finishing grad school. No, you may not be exposed daily. But you will be exposed, and if you don't handle those moments with respect and professionalism, you will lose points in clinical, and your patient will ultimately suffer. It's hard enough to be in their shoes without having a nursing student not treat them with dignity.

Point taken. I do think I can handle it and put myself in the shoes of the patient. I just wanted to know if it's an every day thing or not. Sounds like it could go either way.

ames86 · Jul 12, 2013

Am about to start my 3/4 semesters and I have seen Poo and Pee every clinical day, except the ones where I went to special observation sites. I find that my patient might not have a problem but I always seem to end up helping a fellow classmate, CNA, or nurse clean up another patient. Its something you need to be prepared for every single clinical.

Sun0408, ASN, RN · Jul 13, 2013

Am about to start my 3/4 semesters and I have seen Poo and Pee every clinical day, except the ones where I went to special observation sites. I find that my patient might not have a problem but I always seem to end up helping a fellow classmate, CNA, or nurse clean up another patient. Its something you need to be prepared for every single clinical.

This, I was always willing to help out.

I also got a lot of c.diff pts so the cleaning could be non-stop. First semester and last was the most but like I said, if could be daily depending on what type of pt you got and if they were able to go to the bathroom, use a bed pan etc..

My point was to expect it, some hospitals don't have many CNA's/techs on the floor if at all. So all cleaning was by the student/primary nurse.

**NICU Guy, BSN, RN** · Jul 13, 2013

It is all the luck of the draw. One student may not have one clinical of cleaning up poop and pee (very unlikely) and another student may deal with it several times every clinical (s**t magnet).