So as I was dozing in the rocking chair with my 13 month old who was lazily nursing/sleeping I recalled a conversation I had with a teacher at the school I was at for my Public Health Clinical back in early December. The school nurse wanted me to talk to her because I was still relatively fresh out of school and into the industry and already back to complete my BSN.
Well, this teacher was a lady who looked to be in her late 50's early 60's, and she wanted to know about her daughter in law who wanted to go back to school to be an RN. This daughter in law had a BS in something already, I think marketing or something like that. So she was asking me about what I did on a typical night, and what nursing school entailed. I was explaining that her DIL would be wise to start CNA training so she was ready after she completed the prereq's she would need. She wanted to know what good training to be a CNA would do. I explained that it's basic nursing skills- vitals, personal cares etc. The school nurse I was with piped up "you know...butt wiping". I laughed and said "yeah that's true, you do do some of that".
That's when I lost all respect for this teacher. She got this sour look on her face, and said "oh, but she won't have to do any of that will she? I mean that's what the aides are for, she's going to be more busy doing other things, right? She won't have to wipe people...the aides do that."
To which the school nurse and I looked at each other... school nurse smiled and said something to the effect of having to wipe more butts than she could count when she worked in ICU. I basically said "yea well, sometimes...especially at night the PCA is doing something else, like wrestling/hog tying a raving dementia patient who is trying to gouge another nurse's eye out." What I was really thinking is "gee, no way, we nurses don't sink to that level, just like you teachers don't sink to the level of teaching these kids to spell...they have auto-correct, to do that for them...right?"
OY! If DIL is anything like MIL and she decides to go to school, I'm keeping an eye on this forum for a post that might sound something like "so my mom in law told me i don't have 2 wipe butts when im a real nurse because the aides get to do that im doing importaint things lolz!!"
I work with a lot of nurses who refuse to wipe butts. They would prefer to let the patient marinate in their own feces than god forbid touch poopy. I notice it a lot with the young newer BSN trained RN's. One of them said to me, " I didn't get all of this education so I could wipe butts, " Wow. I tried to explain to her that while you are cleaning the patient you are also assessing their skin, etc. Like talking to a brick wall.
Exactly. While you clean them you are assessing mental status, pain, skin, movement and GI function. Grab a set of vitals, check pulses and listen to heart and lungs and you've got a pretty thorough picture of their physical/ mental health in less than 10 minutes. ('Course sometimes they start pooping all over again the minute you get them cleaned up...)
All I have to say is, it's a good thing teachers don't have to wipe butts! This teacher may think that butt-wiping is the lowest of the low, but that doesn't necessarily mean her daughter in law feels the same way.
It is awesome when you have the time to clean up and pamper a patient. To me, that's 'real' nursing, something we don't get to do much anymore.
Heh, when I was a teacher (not a "college educated" teacher, but a lead teacher in a day care) you bet I wiped butts! All day long, in almost every classroom. I worked in infants (very high poo score) toddlers (lets be honest, the whole room smelled like poopy diapers) young preschool (HELLO POTTY TRAINING) older preschoolers (oopsie!)
I have had patients who have been shocked when they asked me to call the tech to clean them up due to a bm and I have replied that I am perfectly happy to clean them up. I do explain to my patients that it will be easier and faster for me to clean them or help them to the bathroom, than to chase down my tech (who may already be in someone else's room and therefore unavailable). It is nice when one can leave a patient feeling more comfortable and happy.
That reminds me of the time I had a brand new grad working on my floor. I showed her the med cart and started telling her about the med pass. She looked at me and said with derision "I didn't spend 4 years in nursing school to hand out pills". I asked her what she thought she'd be doing on her first day of her first job. She said (no kidding), "I thought I'd be in charge". I had to walk away. I thought the charge nurse would bust a blood vessel she was laughing so hard.
:lol2::lol2::lol2:
I won't even say what my hubby said to this post...hilarious, but not very nice...
:lol2:
brownbook
3,413 Posts
Thanks Subee and JBudd for the apostrophe "s" information.