In what department do you not wipe the backside?

Nurses General Nursing

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I hate the fact that nurses do have to wipe asses!

I rather kill myself when i am to wipe my back.

yes you can call me immature.

I am a first year RN program student, in Toronto, Canada and I have attempted a degree already to go to pharm school but failed. Now knowing my student loan is increasing and I myself am aging to be responsible for my own life. yeah i chose nursing.

I think myself compassionate, and am willing to help. I am very approachable. I do easily make friends. However I really don't wanna wipe the asses for my life. I regard myself too smart to wipe back.

I don't know why nurses have to wipe the back here in Canada and US.

In asia, people hire psws to do the job. Nurses are too skilled for that kind of job.

I don't mind being with blood and wounds all the time. i rather prefer blood than urine and excrement.

Can somebody let me know where I am likely to see more of blood? and unlikely see excrement&urine? OR, ICU, emergency rooms are in my mind.

WOW!! I really thought the original post was a joke at first.

I am sad for all of OP's patients IF she gets herself through nursing school...

To think... she says she's compassionate?

Thankfully, I'm not planning any trips to Canada (or Asia) in the future.

Honestly, I can't think of ONE nurse that I know (in ANY of department) that hasn't had to help clean up a patient.

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As so many others have already said, poop is poop, and as a nurse, you will come in contact with it; either in school or in your profession, at one time or another--you will experience it. On another note, please realize that we in the nursing community get up and do our job everyday because we LOVE it, not for any other reason. There are many components that make up our day that we don't love, and dealing with poop, is I'm sure one of those things. However, I could give you a laundry list of other things that I would much rather pass off because they are emotionally draining or are frustrating, etc. than wiping someone's backside. Being a nurse, as you will quickly learn is a thankless job, and nobody is going to stand at the door at the end of your 12+ hour shift and thank you for each individual thing that you did that day, you have to leave your job knowing that you did something that made your own heart warm, and helped someone because they needed it, and you had the knowledge to do so. Furthermore, many places do have CNA's, techs, etc...that you will quickly learn are extensions of your own arms. Those are the people that will make or break you in many situations. And if you treat them strictly as "butt wipers", they will treat you as one. You will quickly isolate yourself, and find that they will abandon you when you need help. So, I encourage you to deeply consider why it is that you are considering a career in nursing, and if it's only because you failed at your pharmaceutical endeavor, then perhaps you should consider another career where bodily fluids aren't involved. Please don't make all of the other nurses out there look bad, just because you think you are too good to do the dirty work...

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Specializes in CVICU.

You may want to consider that doctors also clean up poop. General surgeons can resect a cancerous colon and create a colostomy or remove part of a necrotic bowel (mind you, these often contain *gasp* poop!), gastroenterololgists routinely insert scopes into rectums to visualize the colon... lots of doctors deal with poop. Poop is and always has been part of the medical field.

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Specializes in ED.

While I cannot say that I enjoy cleaning up feces, I find GREAT satisfaction in making a patient comfortable. Nobody wants to be helpless and unable to wipe themselves. It hurts me when I can tell that a patient is embarassed to tell me that they have soiled themselves...I cannot imagine how difficult that would be, and I try my best to make the process as easy for the pt as possible. I think that the overwhelming majority of nurses here feel the same way. No, it's not fun to clean someone's backside, but it is necessary, and if you think about it in the right way, you may find that it truly is a privilege to be able to serve another human being in this way.

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Specializes in Occupational health, Corrections, PACU.

Bravo for those before me that have posted their responses. Simply put...pursue another line of work.

As a nurse, all things count. If your patients don't poop or pee, something is wrong. Also, when you

do have to clean up your patients, it gives you a chance to look them over to make sure they aren't

developing anything like staph infections/boils, decub. ulcers, skin tears, skin breakdown of any sort, and

the list goes on, and on and on. I am smart, I graduated at the very top of my large bachelors of science class. And I promise you that I am not "too smart" to clean up a patient when they need it. If you don't want to get

your fingers dirty, don't become a nurse. We also have to do menial things like wipe down stretchers/beds, and other various and sundry things that fall under the heading of infection control. Sometimes, if the nurse doesn't do it, it won't get done. I would not want to work with any nurse that thought they were too good to clean up

a "code brown"!

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Specializes in Gerontology.

Thankfully, I'm not planning any trips to Canada (or Asia) in the future

Please don't judge Canadian hospitals by this one post! Most hospitals in Canada don't even use PSW (I think the American version is CNA). So if you come to Canada, the person wiping your ass is probably either an RPN or an RN.

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Specializes in Emergency Dept. Trauma. Pediatrics.

WAIT A MINUTE, you mean I will be having to see poop?!?!?!? I thought I only signed up for blood, guts, vomit, urine and all the other yucky stuff. I am far to smart to have to deal with poop. :stone

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Specializes in MDS/ UR.
Troll much?

You called it right!

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Ortho, ASC.

"how many of you really find joy and happiness when you are dealing with those? "

Therein lies your problem (or one of your problems). Anyone who expects joy and happiness day in and day out in every single task of their chosen profession is delusional. We all take the good with the bad. And besides, as has been mentioned many times in this thread, there absolutely is joy, happiness and satisfaction in taking care of our patients by ensuring their cleanliness, skin integrity and comfort.

You failed out of pharmacy school? May be that the same fate awaits you in nursing school and you will be released to find your joy and happiness in another profession.

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WAIT A MINUTE, you mean I will be having to see poop?!?!?!? I thought I only signed up for blood, guts, vomit, urine and all the other yucky stuff. I am far to smart to have to deal with poop. :stone

Well, you could always join the union the OP wants to start-the non asswipers union :up: lol

I am being sarcastic, too Vida so don't get mad:D

OP, I know this might horrify you, but I also routinely empty the trash in my patients rooms at night when it is too full :eek:

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Specializes in Emergency Dept. Trauma. Pediatrics.
While I cannot say that I enjoy cleaning up feces, I find GREAT satisfaction in making a patient comfortable. Nobody wants to be helpless and unable to wipe themselves. It hurts me when I can tell that a patient is embarassed to tell me that they have soiled themselves...I cannot imagine how difficult that would be, and I try my best to make the process as easy for the pt as possible. I think that the overwhelming majority of nurses here feel the same way. No, it's not fun to clean someone's backside, but it is necessary, and if you think about it in the right way, you may find that it truly is a privilege to be able to serve another human being in this way.

I think you summed it up nicely, even with my kids, who I love and cherish, I can't say I loved changing a poopy diaper. Last week I started my clinicals in LTC and our first day we shadowed CNA's and I got my share of feces I had to clean, was I excited?, no, did it smell great? No, did I once complain? No. While it wasn't a joyus experience, it had a purpose and I had a job to do and I could not imagine having to be in the patients position. After a hysterectomy, I had become severely compacted and also ripped sutures inside, it was one of the most painful things I think I have experienced and I have been through a lot of physically painful things, not only was it painful it was embarrasing, when they went back in to fix the tear they they had to decompact me. I was mortified but thankfully was knocked out during the procedure. But mortified enough that I apologized to the surgical staff that got the pleasure of doing it.

ANYWAY, if that was all mortifying for me, as was using bed pans to pee sometimes when I was in the hospital, I can't imagine what it must feel like to have to be like that daily, and having to always depend on people to clean you up and take you to the bathroom and so on.

So while I might not ENJOY the task at hand, I will do said job and do it well and never act to good and mighty to do it. It's not about MY pride! I made a choice to persue nursing just like I made a choice to be a mom and I will take the good with the not so great and do my job well!

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Specializes in Emergency Dept. Trauma. Pediatrics.
Well, you could always join the union the OP wants to start-the non asswipers union :up: lol

I am being sarcastic, too Vida so don't get mad:D

OP, I know this might horrify you, but I also routinely empty the trash in my patients rooms at night when it is too full :eek:

OMG, whats next, bed baths, and wiping mouths and spoon feeding and wiping eye boogers????

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