Long story short, my sister has decided that she wants to become a Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner. She has a master's in psych, and believes this will be an easy thing to achieve, but she just simply doesn't want to clean poop.
I do assist with peri care, sometimes with a tech, and sometimes because the tech is with another patient. It's not the biggest part of my job and it is not the worst part of my job. It gives me a chance to assess skin issues, to change any bandages that may be on the coccyx, and to let the patient know that I'm there no matter what reason they need me.
I tried to explain this to her, and she just doesn't 'get it'. I get this idea that becoming an NP is practically the same as a MD to her, and that worries me. She'll learn, I suppose. I just hope that she will understand that assisting a patient at a time when they can't even go to the bathroom by themselves is not a bad thing. It's not horrible to help someone. It's what we do.
I'm just bothered by it. Thoughts...comments? Ways to make her understand? all appreciated.
If she thinks that she will make it through any part of a nursing experience on her way to getting a NP without having to do that skill, she is sadly mistaken. I was a CNA before I got into nursing school, and that is your job, ADLs, nutrition, and elimination. When I entered nursing school, there would be some students that would comment that they didn't care, they were never going to wipe butts! Well suprise!! Our entire first semester clinical was working in a nursing home as nurse aids!!
Sometimes you can't make someone understand. She will just have to learn on her own. Bless her heart!
Specializes in ER/Tele, Med-Surg, Faculty, Urgent Care.
It depends on your state. In OR there are three types of APRN licensure: NP, CRNA, and CNS. As such, in OR CNMs are NPs. They're educated as NPs, they're trained as NPs, and they're licensed as NPs.
In New Mexico, CNMs are not licensed by BON but by department of public health. They are not considered NPs. CRNAs & CNS are the 2 other APNs in New Mexico.
By the way, as a CNA and now an RN, I, and all of us, clean up very little poop. What we do and what I did and do provide is care for people, vulnerable people, elderly, who no longer can independently maintain their dignity in very human ways. My colleagues and I not only provide pericare for people, we ensure that they get fewer UTIs, fewer pressure ulcers, maintain some dignity at the end (or during unusually tragic occurances) of their own lives. We try to ensure that they can have a social life and are comfortable.
Has your sister gone to nursing school? If she has that type of attitude she hopefully won't make it through her clinicals. Entitlement is just inconsistent with nursing, regardless of what level of practice you attain. I went back to school after working in social services for 20 years. I ran numerous programs, trained all over the country and yes, I cleaned my share of crap in school and now, as a psych nurse on an inpatient unit. While I didn't relish the task, it made me happy to be able to help people retain their dignity during their most vulnerable periods. I truly began to understand the meaning behind the honor and the privilege of nursing. Most NP programs require time on the floor prior to admission and that is primarily to acquaint yourself with the philosophy and practice of nursing. If you're too good to clean up a patient, you are likely too arrogant to be a decent clinician. Humility is a prerequisite for this career.
Hey if she ultimately works in psych, especially outpatient, she probably won't have to deal with poo, at least not on a regular basis. I'm an outpatient FNP and I hardly ever see poo. Before, as an RN, I worked outpatient and never once saw poo unless someone forgot to flush the toilet. However I sure did see a lot in my clinicals (including the inpatient psych one) and she likely will too! Hopefully when she states she will not have to deal with poo she means after school, because there's no doubt she'll see a lot in her clinicals.
Nobody (or at least I hope nobody) enjoys dealing with dung. Some nursing jobs just require you to wipe more butts. There's nothing wrong with that and in fact, it's often a trade off. Like I said, as an RN I worked outpatient and didn't have to deal with poop... but my outpatient nursing job also paid less and was probably a lot less exciting than some of the inpatient nursing jobs. As a psych NP she won't wipe many butts, but she'll also have much more debt, responsibility, and higher malpractice insurance. Every job has its balance of pros and cons and poo is just a con some people have to deal with! No big deal :)
Also I just want to add, I fully understand the sister-not-getting it thing. My sister is a lawyer and during nursing school she just loved to remind me how "degrading" it was that I had to wipe butts. I'd just tell her, "I'd rather wipe butts than be a scummy lawyer any day!"
ESpeed15
10 Posts
If she thinks that she will make it through any part of a nursing experience on her way to getting a NP without having to do that skill, she is sadly mistaken. I was a CNA before I got into nursing school, and that is your job, ADLs, nutrition, and elimination. When I entered nursing school, there would be some students that would comment that they didn't care, they were never going to wipe butts! Well suprise!! Our entire first semester clinical was working in a nursing home as nurse aids!!
Sometimes you can't make someone understand. She will just have to learn on her own. Bless her heart!