what percentage of your job involves poop?

Laboratorian · Jul 6, 2011

At least I don't smell it when its warm.

loriangel14, RN · Jul 6, 2011

It would largely depend on where you work but all those things are a part of my day, including the poop. lol You will learn things in situations that seem routine, usually when you least expect it.

onedayitllbeme · Jul 6, 2011

How come you don't smell it when it is warm? So like out of a 12 hour day you are wiping poop like 1 or 2 hours?

donsterRN, ASN, BSN · Jul 6, 2011

Seriously?

The caregivers give care. That involves "poop" in all its glory.

Percentages and hours don't really figure into it.

canesdukegirl, BSN, RN · Jul 6, 2011

Also what percentage of your job do you have to use critical thinking skills; assessing a patient, acting fast, anything other than routine, nothing to learn type of situations (that you might or might not enjoy as well)
Just wondering. Just a pre-nursing student that wants to change change careers, but once in a while questions myself.
Thanks!

Scenario:

You are an OR nurse. A 48 yo WM has just been emergently posted for an exploratory laparotomy for a GSW. Your 0.5 second assessment is that he is clammy, pallor is pale, not responding to commands, and your surgeon is pouring betadine on the abdomen as soon as the pt's backside hits the OR table. You help the anesthesia care provider with induction and intubation. Suddenly the pt spikes a temp, HR goes through the roof, and his muscles start to go rigid. You correctly identify that the pt has malignant hyperthermia. You could not possibly have known from his family hx that his father also has a hx of MH because the pt was brought in emergently.

The feces have officially hit the fan in a most explosive fashion.

Another scenario:

State budget cuts mandate that all nurses that work in a state hospital must take a "furlough" that will take one week's pay out of your pocket. Your nurse manager addresses the staff at a meeting to discuss this issue, stating that it is our duty as the residents of the state to 'take one for the team' and goes on about how nurses are an asset to society, how we can get through this is we all think positively, and how we need to be strong for one another. You must now clean the poop out of your pants as you frantically think of creative ways to feed your family for the next month.

There is a lot of poop in our profession. But thankfully, poop can be cleaned up.

DLS_PMHNP, MSN, RN, NP · Jul 6, 2011

How come you don't smell it when it is warm? So like out of a 12 hour day you are wiping poop like 1 or 2 hours?

ummmmmm, ok.

Wow

Nursing in all of its "glory" involves a lot of "not so nice" things like stool, vomit, urine, rotting wounds, leaking colostomy bags, and sad things like bodies liquefying and leaking post-mortem.

If these above sound like things you could NEVER be ok with, you may wanna rethink some things. Please.

DLS_PMHNP, MSN, RN, NP · Jul 6, 2011

oh, and unfortunately, not ALL stool can be 'wiped' up.

some unfortunate patients develop blockages, from CA, etc, and they end up vomiting stool.

netglow, ASN, RN · Jul 6, 2011

The first nurse that comes and posts that poop doesn't really happen when they work because someone else takes care of that stuff, may you get 6 Cdiff patients tomorrow. May a bloated yak change the temperature of your jacuzzi, May you walk a mile under a diseased camel...

onedayitllbeme · Jul 6, 2011

be nice.remember I am pre-nursing student (with no family member that has been in the medical field).. Maybe when you are actually working it doesn't phase you , but just wondering how much is lifting your patients and cleaning them.

i think in numbers, so i am sorry if the concept of how many hours was offense wasn't my intention. also i didn't say i would NEVER be ok! if i am asking how much i am acknowledging that it is at least part of the job, right?

ummmmmm, ok.
Wow
Nursing in all of its "glory" involves a lot of "not so nice" things like stool, vomit, urine, rotting wounds, leaking colostomy bags, and sad things like bodies liquefying and leaking post-mortem.
If these above sound like things you could NEVER be ok with, you may wanna rethink some things. Please.

roser13, ASN, RN · Jul 6, 2011

"?what percentage of your job involves poop?"

Mine, or someone else's? :lol2:

ChristineN, BSN, RN · Jul 6, 2011

Changing diapers, cleaning up vomit or other bodily fluids is something I do everyday. I also do critical thinking, make recommendations to the doctors, study the pt's chart, etc on a daily basis. You can't have one without the other.