I have to be bathed by my classmate???

suzy253, RN · Jun 10, 2004

Ok, this post really isn't a complete joke?
That is absolutely absurd and insane. There is no way in hell I would ever consider doing this.
Why on earth would you as a nurse need to know how a sponge bath feels? Do we not all bathe? That completely crosses the line.
Talk about stupidity. Strip down? Wear a bathing suit? Where the hell are you going to school? That's humiliation, and should never be a prerequisite. Good Lord! You should let your moronic instructors know of their stupidity.
And if you are properly taught how to give a bed bath, on a manaquin, you will be able to do it.
I honestly feel the schools you are attending are complete and utter trash.

Whew! dear me!

It's not stupidity, absurd, insane. Once again, part of your training. We never "stripped down"....we wore shorts, rolled up paint legs, sleeves. Never humiliation involved...ever! Plus I would never ever call my instructors moronic and advise of them of their stupidity. They helped us..put us through the paces...were there to advise and guide us! What are you on about regarding this? :angryfire I have nothing but the utmost respect for my instructors and they know it too! Humiliation never ever crossed my mind. I truly appreciated my instructors for their guidance and teaching me skills that I did not know. Geez....maybe I am really thick but I don't see the problem. It's part of caring for your patient--you're instructed and perform return demos in nursing arts lab on all your skills...aren't these considered skills? I happened to be a partner with a male student (*horrors*) and he felt just as comfortable as me. Treated each other with nothing but dignity & respect which I assume is how you treat your patients???

Re: another post about breast exams, TSE....no we didn't do that on each other. We had rubber imitations that had masses in them. We were taught the proper procedure in order to palpate correctly and were to locate and document the masses that we found

Suffice it to say, my school is certainly not complete and utter trash I take great exception to that statement.

OK..where's that ignore key? :stone

Rhoresmith · Jun 10, 2004

Bella I would like to be a fly on the wall when you inform your instructor you will not do this..well you would be told you then fail lab which fails you in this program Good bye!!!

MY school is a very good school and to group all schools that don't do what you think is right as "complete and utter trash " just makes you ahhhh well I don't want to stoop to your level so I will just follow the others with the ignore button

Goodbye

Rhonda

adidas99 · Jun 10, 2004

:imbar Ok call me old fashioned but I am kind of concerned. I had my nursing orientation today, and I was informed that as part of one of my practical nursing classes I will have to be sponge bathed by one of my classmates and in turn need to sponge bathe a classmate. Ok fine. No worries. HOWEVER, the next breath was, you will have to strip down to your underwear only and your classmate will drape you and sponge bathe you and vice versa. I understand that as a nurse I will give sponge baths to patients and I have no problem with that. But one of my classmates that I am going to spend hours and hours with for the next 2 years bathing me is a whole other story! True, like the instructor said it lets you know first hand how the patient will feel while you are abthing them, so you will want to treat them with dignity but being an overweight gal I am uncomfortable with this because I will have to look at these classmates for the next 2 years. Did anyone else ever do this as part of their curriculum? I don't mean to freak out but I never heard of this. They can stick me with all the needles they want for practice, but bathe the mannequins...lol

Never did this in nursing school, however when i was in high school, we have a class we can take called Health Occupations.

Repat · Jun 10, 2004

This has been interesting - I graduated many moons ago, but I still remember the horror when informed that we would be doing breast exams on each other - and, of course, my group included one of the three males in our class. I still feel that way - and I now teach clinical skills. No purpose is served by doing this. Each person is different, and after more than 20 years of being a nurse, the day I become robotic about approaching these activities is the day I should quit. When I have been a patient, I have not been embarrassed about undergoing these interventions because they were necessary. You don't learn by doing once, but through repetition, so one attempt on a classmate who doesn't require the assistance really doesn't make sense. It also doesn't break the ice for your first "real" bath or exam or whatever. There are plenty of other things about nursing school that you have to "get over" - don't add to it by requiring these unneccessary embarrassments!

belladelicious · Jun 10, 2004

I stick by my statement 100%. And yes, I do feel those schools, who make you do something you feel uncomfortable and humiliated about(this was the words of the people who had to do it, not me), is completely appaling. Yea, I'd love to hear the name of the supposed big schools. Real big community college in your town? Give me a break. And bathing a patient, is this difficult? I don't think so. Practicing on a manaquin is sufficient for this elementary task.

gwenith, BSN, RN · Jun 10, 2004

Alright NONE of you can top MY story.

We don't and never have practiced on each other - we only just watched a demonstration and then were taken to clinical.

Many, many miins ago when I was a young, very naive 17 yo just started nursing we were told we were going to do our first "sponge bath". We were broken into groups and given to various "tutor sisters". This imposing personage came up to our group and said "Right hands up if you have never seen a man naked".:roll Remember - this was the '70's and the sexual revolution had not truly started.

Can you imagine 10 students ALL trying to see what the other person was going to do while trying NOT to look anyone in the eye???

P_RN, ADN, RN · Jun 11, 2004

That is so funny Gwenith!! Thinking back I really don't remember being shown how to do a bed bath.....I think we just sort of figured it out as we went. Now bedmaking was another story. Bed had to be tight as a drum....patient.....hmmmm.

tonicareer · Jun 11, 2004

Personally I think this is ridiculous. Schools keep doing this because they have always done it. It is sort of like an initiation. Maybe they should make the whole college do this to break down the barriers between everyone.

TweetiePieRN · Jun 11, 2004

I honestly feel the schools you are attending are complete and utter trash.

You can "honestly" feel however you want, but for the record; my school is not "complete and utter trash". With a 100% NCLEX pass rate...we must be doing SOMETHING right! We learned how to actually perform a bedbath on a live human being. That has been very beneficial to my actual job as a nurse.

Truly_Blessed · Jun 11, 2004

I was appalled way back when this post was first started but had alot of time to think about it. I came to the conclusion that I would rather practice a spongbath, injections and what not on a "real" person instead of a mannequin. A real person can give you feedback...if you get to wear a shirt and shorts, what's wrong with it....could be alot worse....ya'll did read the "pap smear" reply, right? I would feel there was more of a reason to complain about that one. Also, i think it falls under the simple fact...sometimes we have to do things that we really don't want to do in order to get you to where you want to be. Helloooo? This would be one of them. It is likely there were students that complained before, and it's obvious that the school didn't give a crap(since the lab is still in place) I say grow up and just deal, there are worse things....like the pap smear one:rotfl: Geesh i could not imagine that!

kids · Jun 11, 2004

Also, i think it falls under the simple fact...sometimes we have to do things that we really don't want to do in order to get you to where you want to be.

Very true for both nursing school and life in general.

When I was in school we gave each other bed baths (wearing shorts & tank tops or swim suits). I don't recall that it was that was a big enough deal that we even discussed it in anticipation. It was just something we had to do along with IMs, SQs & finger sticks.

I do recall being very greatful that we were not required to do NG tubes and enemas (among other things) on each other, a practice which was discontinued just a couple of years before us.

Energizer Bunny · Jun 11, 2004

Don't feed the TROLLS............