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.
I suppose my hope is that she doesn't place so much emphasis on herself, but on patients. I had a patient who vomited poop on me, I didn't change my face, encouraged her to get it out. Wiped the stuff off my scrubs, gave her a drink of water, and inserted an NG. That patient didn't have a bm for 3 weeks. Then suddenly, one night, she had regular bowel sounds.
We celebrated.
I told her that the BM was coming soon, and that I had better be there for that event.
I fought doctors on the best course of action, I recommended the NG when she was literally so backed up that there was only one place for it to go, I advocated for the surgeons to do something.
I missed the epic BM that day. Cleaning poop isn't about me, and many others feel that way on this thread. It's about the dignity and well being of a patient. I just hate that someone is so worried about themselves that they put that patient second. I hate that she thinks a BM is the worst thing in nursing. Sometimes, it's the biggest triumph of your shift.
On the bright side, she has 2 sisters who are nurses. The bm's are always something that needs to be cleaned, sometimes celebrated, for the benefit of the patient. I hope she feels the same way after her first experience.
It is what it is. But honestly, I love when my patient feels better because they have moved their bowels. I love when bowel sounds come back and I know it's coming like the poop freight train that it is. Sometimes...poop is an awesome thing. Unless your patient has C-diff. Then it's not so awesome...
Also, as an addition, the bowels are the first place that the body withdraws blood from in the event of a trauma, and often the last place that returns to normal. Poop = normal. For me, that's where I want my patient to be.
Actually hardly ever. I work in a union hospital so my breaks, meals and shift times are strictly enforced per contract. Also I now work in an ASU so there's no PM shift to relieve me if a case goes over. If I can see that a case won't finish on time I simply don't bring the case into the OR, unless management sends an RN over from the Main OR to relieve me. By sticking to my guns on this point management knows I won't be pressured, harassed or bullied into working any longer than I wish to. I can, on occasion, be sweet talked into it if I'm in the mood to stay but it's always my call, not theirs.
That's pretty interesting. I work in a non union state, in an elective plastic surgery OR run by three physicians. They try to estimate well how long the cases are, but sometimes they do go over. They run the show, so there is no nurse with the power to say no to any surgery.
That said, they are as nice as can be, pay much better than my other job, and don't really like to go overtime themselves.
My thoughts are this: I think one Prerequisite to enter nursing school should be that a student have Aide/tech/HHA etc. anyone or all of these as experience and not just one year. I worked as Nurse aide from 16 to 23 years old. The first time I worked in Nursing home, they came to get me to tell me my patient pooped and I had to clean it. I said to them that is not in my job description, because I really didn't think it was. No one mentioned it. I cried, called my mom, my mom said go try it, that patient needs your help, if you can't do it then quit and come home. I put on 5 pair of gloves, 3 gowns, a mask and cleaned the poop. As days and weeks went on I was down to one pair of gloves, no gown and no mask. I became a pro at cleaning poop, and I liked it..LOL. The thing is I would not want to be working with her if she has that kind of attitude. I am sorry but she should not become a nurse or NP or anything in Medical field if she can't accept the whole package. Becoming a nurse requires people skills, filled with compassion, empathy and being able to be able to emphasize with the techs and aides and be able to help them if they need it. I always tell the techs, I will never ask you to do anything that I can't do, and I know my roots, I remember well. On the other hand I may be a hypocrite what I am about to say, but I have cleaned my share of poop, believe me including with my kids, dogs and working in nursing homes and 9 years on GI post surgical floor. I am 58 years old working independently from home and found that the jobs I am getting are more like glorified Aides and not that I am beneath that but I have gone to many years of schooling to build my knowledge and skills up to take step backwards, I don't mind cleaning poop if it warrants it when I am consulting/teaching a patient. I will help them but I do not want to do it for a living. I found that getting reimbursed for Medicaid I am a glorified aid. I know that sounds harsh and I hate even hear myself say it. But I want to teach and educate, I am very knowledgeable and certified in a lot of areas. I did my share of poop, She has to do her share to be a well rounded Nurse, Np or whatever she is going for and I also worked in Psych. She will have fun with that because they paint the walls with poop. She is not Poopless in Psych, everyone Poops, she will find out.
I am in process of trying building my business as Patient advocate/consultant. I just don't know how to market and where to start. I am learning as I go along though. It will happen.
That's pretty interesting. I work in a non union state, in an elective plastic surgery OR run by three physicians. They try to estimate well how long the cases are, but sometimes they do go over. They run the show, so there is no nurse with the power to say no to any surgery.
That said, they are as nice as can be, pay much better than my other job, and don't really like to go overtime themselves.
I'm glad that you work for a good bunch of docs and that the pay is good. That must make for a pleasant, do-able job which is so important. It's too bad however that despite all that you are subjected to mandatory overtime on occasion. I don't have kids but if I did what in the world would I do if I couldn't leave on time to pick them up just because a case is running over? To subject nurses to mandatory overtime, simply because they are nurses it seems, is nothing more than professional disrespect. I care deeply for my patients but the bottom line is I am contracted for only a set amount of time per day-anything more than that is NOT my responsibility. If my managers want to cases to get done they need to find coverage, period. And since this is an ASU and the cases are elective, I don't feel the slightest bit of guilt cancelling a case for staffing issues. My managers know the case schedule and they know the staffing. If they permit the schedulers to book too many cases I will not allow that to infringe upon my personal life just so they can look good to their bosses and all the surgeons. To allow my personal time to be intruded upon by overzealous scheduling and underzealous staffing is disrespect and a devaluing/disinfranching of me as a professional, and I don't permit it. I don't permit bad behavior in my personal relationships and I don't permit it in my professional relationships either. To subject an RN to mandatory overtime is to make a statement that his or her time is neither valued nor important, IMO.
No offense..."bright" people flunk out of nursing school all the time. It's a different kind of learning and doing. I found nursing school more difficult than my BSc Biology, actually.
Specializes in Psych, case-management, geriatrics, peds.
It's not a matter of thinking you're "too good" or not. Some people just can't stand cleaning up #2 and there is nothing wrong with that! I am one of those people, too. It has nothing to do with thinking I am "too good" or better than anyone one else. That's ridiculous. I simply find it gross and do not want to be around it. The same thing regarding blood: I cannot stand the smell and look of blood. It makes me sick. There are those nurses who love being in the "thick" of ER type settings - the blood and guts stuff, and there are those who just can't stand it. It DOES NOT mean they think they are better than others for Gods sake!
Specializes in Psych, case-management, geriatrics, peds.
What kind of Nurse Practitioner are you? I have never heard this from any other Nurse Practitioner. The market is such that NPs are in demand everywhere. It is NOT worse in psych.
Specializes in Psych, case-management, geriatrics, peds.
Maybe YOU get used to it. I never did and I never could. Nor would I ever want to! If you want to catch people's diarrhea in your hands, you go for it! There are those of us who choose to do other kinds of work.
missmollie, ADN, BSN, RN
869 Posts
I suppose my hope is that she doesn't place so much emphasis on herself, but on patients. I had a patient who vomited poop on me, I didn't change my face, encouraged her to get it out. Wiped the stuff off my scrubs, gave her a drink of water, and inserted an NG. That patient didn't have a bm for 3 weeks. Then suddenly, one night, she had regular bowel sounds.
We celebrated.
I told her that the BM was coming soon, and that I had better be there for that event.
I fought doctors on the best course of action, I recommended the NG when she was literally so backed up that there was only one place for it to go, I advocated for the surgeons to do something.
I missed the epic BM that day. Cleaning poop isn't about me, and many others feel that way on this thread. It's about the dignity and well being of a patient. I just hate that someone is so worried about themselves that they put that patient second. I hate that she thinks a BM is the worst thing in nursing. Sometimes, it's the biggest triumph of your shift.
On the bright side, she has 2 sisters who are nurses. The bm's are always something that needs to be cleaned, sometimes celebrated, for the benefit of the patient. I hope she feels the same way after her first experience.
It is what it is. But honestly, I love when my patient feels better because they have moved their bowels. I love when bowel sounds come back and I know it's coming like the poop freight train that it is. Sometimes...poop is an awesome thing. Unless your patient has C-diff. Then it's not so awesome...