silt

On some patients, if they ask for a back scratch, what helps them is to soak a wash cloth in warm water and use some cream and wash their back and rub cream in. Then they will leave you alone for the rest of the shift. This takes away the itch.

I think it would depend on who you're giving back rubs to. I don't think everyone would make accusations. I think there would be some male patients who might value therapeutic touch for reasons of health and healing. Also, I don't think all woman have the same distrust of male caregivers.

It's probably better to be attuned to your own feelings than ignore them.

As a rule, if I'm not too tired, I always give backrubs and take care of my patients feet and legs. I do this on all of them. Others only wash their face and hands and that constitutes a bath. I am sometimes not done until 10:15 at night. Sometimes I'm questioned about why I took so long and I just tell them, "I did complete care on all of them." No one really argues.

One night I was working alone with only one other girl. She demanded that I chart on all the patients in the entire facility on their computer even though I barely understood the program. It was my first week there so I did not know, and had never worked with all the patients. Like many others, this computer was mounted on the wall with no chair to sit in. I think it's dangerous to chart on patients who you never met and never took care of. After several minutes, she yelled, "What's the big hold up?" She should have offered to help me and I should not have had to ask her. I was so flustered, I wanted to start screaming. In the meantime, she was filling out paper charts at a table where she got to sit down.