LPN students have to give bed bath to classmates

Alternator81 · Feb 9, 2008

I am taking lpn program and my teacher said we will be giving each other a bed bath anyone else have to do this? She said we can wear a bathing suite..I am freaked out.

My class never stripped-down to do bed baths, but I guarantee the full body assessment is way more personal! Try checking AP with a classmate who wears a double D! But-- by the end of our first semester, we were basically all getting dressed/undressed in front of each other-- boys and girls!

elkpark · Feb 10, 2008

You will be practicing lots of things on each other in school. As long as your basic privacy is protected (e.g., wearing bathing suits for the bed baths), I don't see a problem with it. It is valuable experience (in terms of developing your compassion & empathy) to understand what a lot of these procedures are like for our clients. As time goes on, you'll get used to it.

vashtee, RN · Feb 10, 2008

We were told we would be giving bed baths, but we never had to actually strip down - we gave "dry" baths. I don't really know why you need to strip down, either. It seems like a violation of privacy and let's face it: these students are PEERS, not patients. You will be seeing them most days of the week until you get through your program.

BTW - we did physical exams on top of the clothes, too.

Alternator81 · Feb 10, 2008

maybe I should clarify my response. At first we were all very uncomfortable. We really didn't know eachother Women more gym shorts and a bra. Me and the other guy in my class just wore shorts. I developed some love handles this last year, so yes-- I was a little uncomfortable. Our instructors were very cool, and I think that if someone had a problem, you could approach them! And really, everyone is VERY professional. Also, some drew the curtains back for privacy, but really very few. By the end, we all knew each other really well.

Like I said, we were all a bit uncomfortable at first, but we forgot about it 10 mins after our first day of "playing" pt. We were more concerned with getting the assessment down before checkoff. When someone is giving you a mock bed bath, you are watching them closely and thinking about what they are or arent doing-- you don't just lie there, you participate in the learning.

jackson145 · Feb 10, 2008

I feel sorry for anyone who has to see me naked. I'd hope they wouldn't lose their lunch!

future L&Dnurse · Feb 10, 2008

No practicing bed baths here, but in my first semester my classmate had to do a head-to-toe on me. I wore a camisole and pants but I was blessed by the breast fairy so heart sounds were not necessarily that easy to assess for her! We just laughed about it though, it was no big deal. You get to know some of your classmates very well (and not just through practicing procedures!) that it just isn't that big a deal when you have to do this stuff. I can almost guarantee that EVERY other person in your class is feeling the exact same way - be honest that you're a little uncomfortable, and I bet other people will too. It'll go faster and easier than you are probably expecting!

locolorenzo22, BSN, RN · Feb 10, 2008

trust me by the end of the program you get lots of comments back and forth...especially if you're one of the only 3 males left! One asian, one gay and me....good lord, you'd think we resemble a multi-ethnic 3 stooges somedays at clinicals....it's funny when I'm leading the other guy and we both end up in a patient's room at some point.....the ladies seem to like it though.....LOL

MB37 · Feb 10, 2008

We didn't do it for bed baths, but for head to toe we too had to strip down to a sports bra and short shorts. Guys wore just their boxers. My partner was rather well-endowed in the chest area, so I had to ask her nicely to please lft 'em out of the way for me so I could listen to her heart! We were all a little embarassed, but whatever. Only one girl in our class is superskinny, so the rest of us were equally self-conscious (and she probably was too, she's too thin). We all had the curtains set up, so it was just us, our partner, and the instructor. We were also allowed to bring in a friend/family member/spouse and do ours on them (although no one did), but if anyone had a religious problem getting undressed in front of others they wouldn't have to. It wasn't a problem.

nightmare, RN · Feb 10, 2008

I remember doing all these things in training!Plus lifting exercises.It was actually quite a good way of bonding with your classmates!

ZooMommyRN, ADN, RN · Feb 10, 2008

I'm in an ADN program and we had to do this as well, we could wear boy shorts for underwear but were topless under the sheets, the whole point is to be able to give the pt a bath without exposing them at all, if it's done right you won't be seen, only felt through gloves and washcloth

Logos · Feb 10, 2008

We never had to do that. The only thing we really did on each other was put each other on bed pans and that was fully clothed.