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I am one confused student.
Right now I am getting my CNA certificate from my college as it is a pre-req to even applying to nursing schools. I'm already becoming a little disgusted with some of the work I'll be doing as a CNA, (mainly vomit ) but I keep reassuring myself I won't be a CNA forever.
I didn't realize how hard it is to get into nursing school! It looks like I may be wait-listed for up to two years!
I really don't like the idea of being a CNA for two years, so I was thinking of getting my LPN then doing the advanced course afterwards from LPN to RN.
My main concern is math. I am not the best math student but I AM a hard worker who is willing to give it my all and spend tons of time studying. Not to mention every school around here (Washington State) has different pre-reqs, so I STILL have to take some more classes.
I am so compassionate for people and am truly interested in nursing. I am just so fearful of waiting for two years for RN school and weary of whether or not I'll even find work as an LPN. Will it be worth it in the end? Can I ever get into nursing school? Should I start applying in other states?
Can anyone give me some words of advice or wisdom? I am feeling so dissapointed and angry with myself today.
I can probably say that I'm a professional at cleaning poop, pee,vomit, blood, iodine, icky green stuff what have you.
Had a patient use the bed pan stool thingy next to the bed with no basin in it resulting in some nice coils of.... on the floor.
Yeah poop smells, honestly nothing has topped what i squeezed out of my body. It is natural for you feel like vomiting when you see, hear or smell it. Sorta like watching some one yawn then yawning yourself.
TBH you do wipe your own orifice (i hope) without gloves!, how hard could it be wiping someone else with gloves and with something better than tp.
Some units don't even have CNAs, but have the RNs doing total care. I think it's very good you are required to become a CNA as part of your prereqs and I wish every nursing program had that as a requirement.
Because yes, a lot of things you do as a CNA will be "gross", but the things you will do as a nurse can be far more "gross". The first few times you clean up poop or vomit, you'll be grossed out. You can't SHOW that patient that you're grossed out though. After even just a few days, it gets much easier. Put yourself in the patient's place and imagine how THEY must be feeling! No one wants to have to have someone else wipe their butts or clean up after them.
Don't give up before you even really try it. I've heard a lot of people say things similar to what you're saying. The body fluids are not the good part of the job, but I'm really curious as to what people think nurses DO. It's not just handing out medications - it involves all kinds of treatments and dressings that can be just as gross as ANYTHING we CNA's take care of.
I once told someone (a fellow CNA) that I was getting ready to start nursing school and they said "Oh, I want to do that too. Time for a cushy job!" Oh, Lord. Nothing cushy about nursing.
Keep your head up and finish your class and see how it goes on the floor. I think you'll be surprised at how much you are able to overcome - we humans are surprisingly good at that. If we weren't able to work through "grossouts", none of us would be aides or nurses! :)
I worked as a CNA for 20 years before I became a nurse. The job doesn't get any easier, your number of responsibilities increases. I have always maintained the belief that everyone should work at least 2 years as a CNA before becoming a nurse. Vomit bothered you? You will be dealing with people who will not be at their best, illness tends to do that to you, so just deal with it. You do get used to it, the smells & sights & you can even hide your gag response when doing trach care on a new trach site. But I guess their are people who can't do it. It's a hard job physically & emotionally & CNA's are the backbone. So kudoo's to all who are CNA's & nurses!
as an RN, i RARELY do any of the dirty work. there's no time. i give medication and do paperwork. that's pretty much it. the CNAs at my hospital do all of the dirty work - except in the ICU, where the RNs do total care. Even my manager says that the CNAs on our unit is responsible for the dirty work, and the RNs are responsible for the medication and the paperwork. It's the way it is at my hospital, and I like it that way.
as an RN, i RARELY do any of the dirty work. there's no time. i give medication and do paperwork. that's pretty much it. the CNAs at my hospital do all of the dirty work - except in the ICU, where the RNs do total care. Even my manager says that the CNAs on our unit is responsible for the dirty work, and the RNs are responsible for the medication and the paperwork. It's the way it is at my hospital, and I like it that way.
I'm sure you've encountered patients getting sick while giving them their meds. What do you do in that case?
as an RN, i RARELY do any of the dirty work. there's no time. i give medication and do paperwork. that's pretty much it. the CNAs at my hospital do all of the dirty work - except in the ICU, where the RNs do total care. Even my manager says that the CNAs on our unit is responsible for the dirty work, and the RNs are responsible for the medication and the paperwork. It's the way it is at my hospital, and I like it that way.
A Registered Nurse is responsible for the care of their patients be it medication administration or hygiene. I work in ICU and a Med/Surg unit as a PCT and those nurses are awesome in handling their responsibilities. They do the "dirty work" too. When I was discharging a patient the charge nurse came out of one of my rooms and said "patient in 5 bed 1 had a BM but she's clean now" and I said "Thank You." that's how it should be, CNA's are not confined to the dirty work, it is a shared responsibility.
I remember feeling the same when I first encountered poo. I couldn't stop gagging and felt terrible because the patients saw how I struggled with it.
My advice is if you find it really horrible then maybe wear a mask. It can help with making the smell less strong and the patients can't see you gag.
My daughter was a medic with an MP unit in Iraq. Their mission was mostly escorting convoys from Baghdad International Airport to bases and posts around Baghdad. During one mission the truck ahead of them was hit by a roadside bomb. The tailgate flew off and the MP who was in her vehicle manning the .50 cal machinegun on the roof was cut in half by it.
Knowing how it got for her over there, poo is nothing.
casi, ASN, RN
2,063 Posts
Poop happens to everyone at some point in nursing. Most people get over it quickly and learn to deal with it. If you don't think you can get past it or want to get past it and give it a try there are many many many other jobs in the helping profession that need wonderful and dedicated employees. You could always give one of them a try.