In class today, our instructor informed us that we would be required to give one another bed baths as part of the course. The majority of the class are females, and we also have a few men. We were told the men would work with the men, the women with the women.
Basically, we'd be required to bring a bathing suit to class, change and be (I hate to use the term this way) forced to recieve a bed bath. For many of us, this doesn't exactly sit well. I understand the experience is to give us a sense of empathy and compassion for patients, but for me personally, this is going a bit over the line and even though this is coming around in a few weeks, I'm already feeling extremely violated
We were also informed that if we refused, we would be kicked out of the program. Also, many of us don't even own bathing suits - as we were discussing it on break, about 70% of us don't even own one; we brought this up to our instructor and were told that if we didn't own one, we'd have to do it in our bras and underwear. Personally, this is really overwhelming for me.
Now, mind you, I do not have anything against giving a bath or bed bath to an individual - I worked in a NYS ARC for a period of time and that was part of my job as a direct support professional.
My issues with this are extremely personal - its not about stretch marks from pregnancy or weight gain like many of the other women had mentioned; I have some severe scarring from being a victim of abuse years ago. Its not something I wish to flaunt or have to explain to people. Even going to the doctor's office, I have a very difficult time undressing and more often than not, I keep my clothing on.
I read a previous post from 2008 on the subject - how many LPN students had to go through the same procedures, but there were also alternatives - dry baths, with students fully clothed, etc (I could deal with that).
I don't want to lose this oppertunity because of this (once again, refusal = dismissal from the program).
Something really does not sound right here. Next thing you know, she'll have you catherizing each other or performing lady partsl exams on each other. There's got to be more than you're saying. I would drop an anonymous phone call to your state's agency that licenses nursing programs and explain the situation.
If you're kicked out of a program for not wanting to give a fellow student a bed bath--I'd smell a lawsuit coming on. If said student does not want to be "given" a bed bath--and he/she must undergo it to stay in the program--that's considered battery.
And ANY student--male or female--touching another's genitalia (male testicular exams) is another lawsuit coming.
Yes because a bed bath is an invasive a procedure as a catheter placement:uhoh3:
I had to give a bed bath to another student when i got my CNA in high school and then again for my RN. My gf has to do it as well for her LPN. I dont see the big deal at all.
Specializes in Peds/outpatient FP,derm,allergy/private duty.
I understand how you feel, and this has come up a couple of times in the last 6 months. Prepare to be told you are unfit to be a nurse if you aren't willing to "go through what the patients go through" and to be insensitively told "it's no big deal" because it's not a big deal for them, and you should feel the way they do.
I'm in an RN program and that was one of our first check-offs, we had to do bed-baths on a classmate. We were given the option of a bathing suit or shorts and a tanktop. It wasn't a big deal, the only people that were there was the classmate and the instructor. I can see your situation being different, so I hope you can get it worked out. Ours was the same way; you either passed or you ended the program because you weren't going to be able to move on.
I think shorts/tank top would be OK, but really if you're going to be dressed that much, why not just go ahead and let students stay dressed? If people are going through the motions to master techniques needed to turn immobile people that's one thing, but stripping down and actually rubbing each other with a washcloth is another, esp given that the instructor cannot possibly know what every student has experienced in their personal lives that may make them freaked out by this sort of thing.
I just finished lpn school. We had to do bed baths on dummies. I did not find this helpful at all. I already work as a nurse aid, and I think that most nursing schools require you to be a nurse aid first. Being a nurse aid, everyone should know how to do bed baths. I beleive they emphasized too much of the nurse aid duties in nursing school. I think it is a violation and ridiculous to be asked to get into a bathing suit in front of people. I would speak to the administrator of the program, because even if others arent speaking up, no one is 100% comfortable doing this.
I still stand by the belief that the student/student relationship is different than the nurse/patient relationship. The students are colleagues, the nurse and patient are on a professional level.
I also don't believe you can really teach empathy. You either have it or you don't.
Personally, I would talk to the president of the college or dean about this issue. It seems insane that they would be able to kick you out of the program because you refused to get scrubed down by a classmate, but I'll take your word for it! Anyway, when we did bed baths in CNA, we did them on manequins, not each other, and so far in RN school, the only thing we've done that can be performed on someone else is physical assessment, and we kept all of our clothes on (except our shoes b/c we were in the beds).
As a matter of fact, during the check-offs for physical assessment, my partner couldn't find my apical heart beat (I think my bra may have been in the way), anyway, when the teacher couldn't find it, she refused to move my bra up herself, "To protect your modesty," and found her own to check my partner off with.
Also, it seems that you have really valid arguments against this, as you said there are personal issues, etc. To me, it would seem that it would be different if you didn't want to do it because you were carrying around a few extra pounds!
RN students do as well. It is not a big deal. In two years you will look back and laugh at yourself for being so concerned. I know I laugh at myself for the way I thought back then.
Why don't you ask the instructor to wear a bathing suit too? After all, she should understand what patients and students should feel like right? She shouldn't mind ONE BIT!!
2ndyearstudent, CNA
382 Posts
I would do it and move on with the program.