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

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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. =)

Unfortunately, yes, in the beginning clinical instructors seem to force you to do the yucky stuff that aides usually do. At my school, they told the aides which patients had students assigned so they'd skip over bathing/cleaning them. At first, that was good for learning the basics, but after a few weeks of bed baths and changing sheets, I was pretty sure I knew how to do it and started to feel really annoyed that 75% of my clinical day was the CNA's job. I wanted to learn actual skills!

Luckily, cleaning is non-existent in the specialty rotations, such as L&D, OR, psych, etc. I lived for those. Med/surg rotation, however, be prepared for 2-3 "clean ups" per week. Hold your nose, use strong gum, and wait for the day you move into a different specialty and never have to deal with med/surg again. I know I couldn't do it as a full-time job - I respect those that do, but it's not for me.

#1: "Yucky stuff aides do"???? Nurses do that "yucky" stuff too! So... just the lowly aide touches that stuff, eh? Boy, oh boy!

#2: It's more than learning basics. Okay, you can do the task, but how competent are you of the assessment that goes along with that? Do you see skin break down? Dark foul-smelling urine? Hard dry stools? How well is the pt able to turn... yadda yadda yadda. If you just think it's just the task, well, then you need to think harder.

#3: A monkey can be taught actual skills. Pt's give themselves their own injections and family members learn how to give a tube feed. That stuff is easily taught. Don't get me wrong: there's a "good" way and a "bad" way to do this stuff, but understanding the "why" behind what you do and putting together a big picture is what makes the difference between you and a monkey.

#4: Cleaning exists in L&D. God help those nurses who were there when I delivered my son. Suddenly, my pregnant craving for Starbucks coffee ice-cream was not such a great idea the next day when I was delivering. 'Nuff said.

I can't speak to what happens in an OR, but you better bet your sweet tootsies there's cleaning in psych! Did you know stool could be a media for artistic expression? The paintings I have seen!

#5: Your respect is appreciated and no one holds it against anyone who simply can't deal with it... some people just can't, but you seemed to have a few notions that seemed a wee bit off...

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Specializes in Pain, critical care, administration, med.

To priorities, I think that your responses to answers you don't like are not professional. After all you are the one asking us the question. It's like saying I want to be a mechanic but want to know how much grease you can expect on your hands. Really! And I do agree on a minimum amount of nursing experience of 5 yrs before advanced degrees are pursued.

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To priorities, I think that your responses to answers you don't like are not professional. After all you are the one asking us the question. It's like saying I want to be a mechanic but want to know how much grease you can expect on your hands. Really! And I do agree on a minimum amount of nursing experience of 5 yrs before advanced degrees are pursued.

I find this reply amusing as I think there are many "unprofessional" replies in this thread, though not really any from the OP. It's the internet. If you want professionalism this website is probably one of the last places you should look.

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you will never be an np without being a bedside nurse first. you will always have to deal with poop and pee regardless of if you are an np or a unit director. its what an aide does, what an lpn does, and what an rn does. if thats what youre thinking about when going into nursing school, id think of a new career path

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it doesnt matter if you love it. you dont wake up one day as an np. you have to work for it. and that means cleaning up the gross stuff and starting as a bed nurse.

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Specializes in critcal care, CRNA.
you will never be an np without being a bedside nurse first. you will always have to deal with poop and pee regardless of if you are an np or a unit director. its what an aide does what an lpn does, and what an rn does. if thats what youre thinking about when going into nursing school, id think of a new career path[/quote']

Actually you can. You do not have to work one day as a RN to become an NP.

People need to get off his back already. Everyone wonders about cleaning poop. It's probably fear of the unknown. It's new and not pleasant but they will probably get through it. Not every RN job requires you to clean up pt excrement.

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yes you are going to deal with urine, sh*t, vomit, sputum, GI bleeds, gangrenous feet, and everything else you can think of. you're going to have to pay your dues before you become a NP. besides, if you avoid all those things, how are you going to know that the patient has C. Diff, an upper GI bleed vs. a lower GI bleed, or a UTI? Body fluids (or lack thereof) can tell you an awful lot about what's going on with the patient. yes you can delegate a CNA to do the dirty work but there are plenty who don't know what they should be looking for. Or care.

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I think it is wonderful you want to be an NP, however even if you are doing a direct entry program or planning on working in policy you would likely need several years of RN experience. Additionally, while it is great to be ambitious I would be careful about saying something like "I don't plan on working as an RN much." You will want nurses to respect you and go to you may be mentoring them. Healthcare, like a lot of jobs is about teamwork. You have to be willing to take on all aspects of it.

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Specializes in Educator.

There will be days when cleaning up pee/poop will be a welcome relief. There are much nastier things out there.

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Unless OP has a sugar daddy or wants a butt load of loans he/she will have to work to put themself through school...

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Specializes in Pediatrics/Developmental Pediatrics/Research/psych.

A few things I noticed:

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

When a client has a seizure, either from seizure disorder, neuro trauma, altered mental status or detox, there is a great chance of urinary incontinence.

SCI can cause incontinence of B/B.

The client I'm psych may do it purposefully or not.

Geriatric clients may also be incontinent.

Emesis is found in many departments.

One important reminder is that incontinence is NOT normal. It is usually connected to a pathology. It's common but not normal.

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how do i start a new topic ? i am new to allnurses.com

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