In lecture, we were told to not wear gloves when we perform bed baths unless coming into contact with bodily fluids or feces, or open wounds. So basically no gloves giving the bed bath until we are about to give perineal care/change the brief. The reason being that it makes the patient feel like something is wrong with them and you don't want to touch them. And they say you don't wear gloves when you wash yourself, so why would you need to for someone else (assuming they have no open wounds, infectious diseases, giving perineal care, etc.)
Well, last week was my first start in clinicals in a long term nursing home. My partner and I had no issues at all with anything including the bed bath; we did not use gloves when giving the bed bath until we did perineal care (patient had no additional issues to worry about).
This week however, I have a new patient and a new partner. Anyway, the gist is my instructor decided to critique my new partner and I today on almost everything we did (correct and non-correct). Probably because even though I was knowledgable in what we were supposed to be doing, my new partner was not and my instructor knew. Don't get me wrong, if I am doing something wrong then please correct me, but if I'm doing something right, I don't see the reason to find some way to criticize.
Anyway, one of the things she criticized me on was what I had done with my gloves because she had seen me grab some earlier. And I explained I had my gloves on my person, but I had only just finished washing her upper body so I was waiting to put them on for perineal care and the conversation went on from there.
My question is, as a nursing student, what is the correct way? To wear gloves the whole time or only in cases of contact with open wound, perineal care, etc.? Because hearing two different things is confusing and now I don't know what the right way is. I want to do this correct and I don't want to continue to be critiqued over something because I can't get the right information. Do I follow what I learned in lecture or what my particular nurse instructor wants?
Edit- I just realized I posted in wrong thread area, opps!
Have you ever tried to put gloves on with wet hands?!?!
I wear gloves for the whole thing and no one thinks a thing of it. There are tons of germs that are going around and sometimes the patients can have a lot of funk. That funk can be hard to wash off! I'm talking funk like the heavy sweaters, skin flakes, rashes and general grime. The patient doesn't even think about what areas you are wearing the gloves for, they just want to get clean before the water gets cold!
At least if you err with gloves, it's on the side of caution.
For school though, keep your head down, do it precisely how you are taught and remember practicality for the real world.
I think because you can't be 100% sure of what fluids you'll come in contact with the standard precaution is to just go ahead and wear gloves. If you're in class it's fine to go ahead without I'm sure, but I wouldn't go without in clinicals. Ick. Last week our class had quite a fee incidents of incontinence during showers and baths.
Specializes in Med/ Surg/ Telemetry, Public Health.
At my school we wear gloves for bath care, change your gloves every time you change the bath water. Is the school/facility that cheap on gloves? My teacher said gloving is a preference, but in NCLEX world gloves are a must for almost every thing.
Specializes in 1st year Critical Care RN, not CCRN cert.
I cannot even fathom some idiotic professor telling you not to wear gloves when washing a pt. The gloves are for both your protection and to protect the patient from your germs. That has to be one of the most insane things I have read on this site to date. Look into the policy/procedure at that the LTAC has in place. I'll bet your school is breaking with procedure for the facility. Standard precautions is the minimum expectation when working with patients.
Gloves the whole time is how I learned it in CNA course and nursing courses. I would use wear gloves in the real world too for washing anything other than face only, or maybe helping patient wash hands before/after meal. I would only skip gloves with family member.
Specializes in 1st year Critical Care RN, not CCRN cert.
Gloves the whole time is how I learned it in CNA course and nursing courses. I would use wear gloves in the real world too for washing anything other than face only, or maybe helping patient wash hands before/after meal. I would only skip gloves with family member.
I wouldn't skip gloves with family because you don't know what you are giving to them.
That seems like a great way to spread some nasty monsters. Pt A gets a glove free bed bath and some invisible secretion gets on your wrist or forearm. You may not thoroughly wash your entire arm, or give yourself a bath, between patients and proceed to put that lovely secretion on patient B. On and on. Someone comes at me without gloves wanting to wash me off and I'll tell them no.
If I was in a hospital bed and required bed bathing I'm sure I wouldn't be as hygienic as usual and may want to wear gloves to wash myself.
As soon who literally just finished giving a bedbath, figured I would chime in..
I also had teachers who told us not to wear gloves for various reasons (patient would feel uncomfortable, water might get into gloves any way so what was the purpose, yadda yadda ya). Luckily I was a night student and most of the baths were given during the day anyway. But, I worked as a CNA during the day and always gave baths with gloves because I saw others do it that way.
But I then realized. Almost all of my nursing instructors were from old school nursing. I attended an over 100 year old diploma program. These nurses were from back in the day. And back in the day, they did not have all of the information that we have. Sure they washed their hands but more often than not, they did not wear gloves unless there were obvious reasons to, like stool and vomit. They were not as knowledgeable about MRSA and other germs. Remember, they were also from the time where there was nothing wrong with smoking with the doctors at the nurse's station!
So, yes, wear gloves definitely! But be aware of who is telling you not to and what generation they are from. They most often will tell you they did not have the same push towards gloves and Purell as us!
Wear gloves. The instructors logic does not work for me. NO, I do not use gloves to wash myself or my babies. I also brush my teeth without gloves, clean myself up after using the bathroom, without gloves but no way in hell would I not wear gloves when providing that care for someone else (aside from my children).
I might not wear gloves in a class setting when we pretend to do things. Like starting IVs on the dummy arm. During check off we did but during practice we just acted like we pulled on gloves and stated. "I am putting on my gloves".
BM, spit, blood, and other body fluids can travel. What if the pt had dried up urine on their back because the person before you did not do a great job cleaning it. Now you are washing it off with bare hands. Protect yourself. You might be able to find in your text books or your skills book that it suggests wearing gloves and can use that as rational for you wearing gloves on scene.
Staragate, ADN, ASN, RN
380 Posts
Have you ever tried to put gloves on with wet hands?!?!
I wear gloves for the whole thing and no one thinks a thing of it. There are tons of germs that are going around and sometimes the patients can have a lot of funk. That funk can be hard to wash off! I'm talking funk like the heavy sweaters, skin flakes, rashes and general grime. The patient doesn't even think about what areas you are wearing the gloves for, they just want to get clean before the water gets cold!
At least if you err with gloves, it's on the side of caution.
For school though, keep your head down, do it precisely how you are taught and remember practicality for the real world.