stinky patient pet peeve

[Fruit Sucker]

It really irritates me when we get to the floor, get patient assignments, and go in to see patients that have not been cleaned for at least a day. I'm not talking about diapers that need to be changed, I'm talking the entire patient is stinky and there are techs/cna's standing around. This really grinds my gears.

Do people working as nurses have this problem? If so, what do you do? Can you write up the techs for this?

I had a patient the other day who was stinky as all get out, Foley bag was full, and he was slumped down in his bed. The nurse is busting his butt trying to get all the medications out, and there are techs standing around talking. I say something to my clinical instructor and she says, "sometimes you'll have that, it's a game where they want to see if you'll do it for them." Can't people like this be punished?

[morte, LPN, LVN]

In strolls a classmate to save OP! Total well-being/care of your patient is part of your EVERYDAY assignment!! I weep for the future if yours and OP's attitudes are what we can expect from current nursing students/future nurses. The real world is going to hit some people hard. Between the eyes. With a chair.

The only thing that is a waste of time in clinical is sitting on your backside complaining that some lowly CNA is refusing to do her job and needs to be punished.

you should check a little be for post crud....i am one of the oldest on this board, nurse for 29 years. try again.

[SubSippi]

and apparently not so in OPs clinical.

Either way, if total care of the patient wasn't an expectation from her instructor, I seriously doubt she would have gotten in trouble for emptying the foley bag then getting someone to help her pull her own patient up in the bed.

This poster's attitude is what has really gotten her so much grief. But it sounds like her instructor might be partially to blame for her point of view regarding nursing duties.

In my fourth semester, my instructor wanted us to focus less on bed baths and hygiene...it was up to us to decide what we had time to do, and then communicate this and coordinate with CNAs. Just like in the real world, some of us were too timid to delegate, and ended up getting behind, some of us tried to get the CNAs to do absolutely everything, and them some of us were in the middle. But it was made clear that it was our responsibility to follow up.

I think this students's school is doing her a huge disservice. We get so little time to spend in a hospital, and they want their students to spend down time "looking things up." It's ridiculous, you can look things up at home. Becoming comfortable with patients is a huge part of the learning that goes on in clinicals, and anyone in this sort of program is missing out on that.

[Fruit Sucker]

First of all, many people don't seem to have actually read my post. I stated in that post what my assignment was, and asked for help in dealing with hospital staff who were neglecting their duties in favor of standing around. It is very telling that so many people read this to say that I was "sitting on my butt" or "being superior".

I asked my professor twice what I should do about my patient's foley bag and lack of hygiene, and she said, "do you think it just happened before you walked in? No, someone let it go on all day like that." No, the patient was not on diuretics. No, the patient had not refused care. Later that evening, I in fact did some of the CNA's REALLY GROSS toileting assignments because he looked straight at the nurse, smirked, and said he couldn't do it because he didn't know how to deal with it. So the nurse just gave up and was going to do it, and I offered to jump in.

As I mentioned, my professor commented on this and said that it is a common theme, that CNA's frequently try to avoid work especially if it is something malodorous. As I mentioned, this infuriates me.

I have however many patients my nurse is assigned to, meaning I have a crapload of medication to get out that barely gets out on time. I am also repeatedly called away for inservices, and I am expected to research my patient's conditions and report on them during post-conference. There is no staying late and holding everyone up. There is no saying, "well I couldn't do my work because I had to wash people."

This same evening it took a huge chunk out of my med pass time when I had to clean up a code brown explosion that everyone else didn't want to deal with, because "let's dump everything gross on the student". I guarantee you it will come up next week. It has been an issue before and charge nurses have had yelling matches with CNA's who think the students are there to do their jobs.

I really don't get how there are so many problems with reading comprehension on this thread. Or as I mentioned, maybe everyone thinks it's fine to haze the students because they are peons. Well, that is not acceptable professional behavior.

[THELIVINGWORST, ASN, RN]

Grabbing some snacks.....

[ComeTogether, LPN]

To the people who said that I should just do the CNA's job because I'm a student and I'm being "uppity"...just, no. I am given what assignments I do by my clinical instructor, and washing patients is not among those duties. I'm an RN student, not a CNA student, maybe I didn't mention that. My assignments that I receive from my instructor are assessment, meds, and so on, and if there is extra time I'm expected to be looking things up, not giving bed baths.

I guess I didn't expect so many "oh, just do it yourself" replies. Kind of shows people's attitudes toward students.

Wow. Just so you know, CNA duties = Nursing duties. The simple fact is, if your patient was dirty and you had time, you should have offered to rectify the things you saw wrong. Nurses don't always have CNAs to help them, every single task a CNA has to do is YOUR job when you aren't lucky enough to have a CNA that day.

You are not above giving someone a bed bath. Much can be learned about the patient during such a task.

[ComeTogether, LPN]

OP,

Between having to do a "gross" toilet assignment, not knowing what to do about a full foley bag, (really? Empty it and measure it!), pointing out who isn't doing their job while you pass judgement on them and let the patient continue to lay in bed dirty, (probably too gross, eh?) thinking that CNA duties aren't also YOUR duties, the way you speak to people and your total disregard for constructive criticism I really think you need to take a huge step back and re-evaluate.

You won't make it if this is your mentality. You'll either quit before your program ends or when you get a job.

I promise you, Nursing is NOT what you think it is, and you'd do well to learn that now and decide if it's still something you want.

[ComeTogether, LPN]

[quote=

Next week, at clinical, take on the role of CNA as part of your nursing duties. It may change your whole perspective on what's important.

Good idea. Although, I bet she'd run away screaming.

[ComeTogether, LPN]

Well, I can't speak to where you went to school 18 years ago, but today's instructors are not teaching students how to make beds and give sponge baths anymore. As I said, I follow the instructions I'm given BY MY PROFESSORS, not by some hospital staff members who think someone else should do their work for them. Nor do the nurses on the unit have time to do CNA work. Maybe this is a regional thing, I don't know. I've heard hospitals in more rural areas don't even have CNA's. But I do know that I go to school to learn, and missing out on inservices, missing meds, and missing actual student duties because I have to do someone else's work is not acceptable.

Thats not the point. Yes, you're a student, so your education should come first. If there is something to learn, you should be learning.

There is a SERIOUS problem if you think it's OK to choose to neglect a patient because cleaning them "isn't your job".

If a patient needs something, and it is in your power to do it, you do it. I also don't beleive for one second that you didn't go over bed baths and ADLS during your first semester.

I have to leave this thread now before I get in trouble.

[Fruit Sucker]

OP,

Between having to do a "gross" toilet assignment, not knowing what to do about a full foley bag, (really? Empty it and measure it!), pointing out who isn't doing their job while you pass judgement on them and let the patient continue to lay in bed dirty, (probably too gross, eh?) thinking that CNA duties aren't also YOUR duties, the way you speak to people and your total disregard for constructive criticism I really think you need to take a huge step back and re-evaluate.

You won't make it if this is your mentality. You'll either quit before your program ends or when you get a job.

I promise you, Nursing is NOT what you think it is, and you'd do well to learn that now and decide if it's still something you want.

I'm making it fine and people like you can't stop me. So there's that.

I didn't say I didn't know what to do about a foley bag. Check your reading comprehension skills. I'm getting tired of repeating myself with people who are just looking to stir up **** online with someone.

[morte, LPN, LVN]

Thats not the point. Yes, you're a student, so your education should come first. If there is something to learn, you should be learning.

There is a SERIOUS problem if you think it's OK to choose to neglect a patient because cleaning them "isn't your job".

If a patient needs something, and it is in your power to do it, you do it. I also don't beleive for one second that you didn't go over bed baths and ADLS during your first semester.

imI have to leave this thread now before I get in trouble.

you do need to improve your reading comprehension, she didn't mention ADLs just bed making, which should not be an issue since hospital use fitted sheets now, and sponge baths, which i didn't think were commonly prescribed any more? a bed bath is a different thing. just in general persons here at AN or not hearing this poster! did you read what here instructor said? this is common practice at this institution. when i did pedi rotation, we had a nurse leave a side rail done to bag a student, didn't work, she picked the wrong student.

[ocean.baby]

OP - you might do well in taking some classes on effective communication. If you do not talk to staff in a nicer tone than you talk 'about' them you are destined for problems regardless of where you work.

[BuckyBadgerRN, ASN, RN]

you should check a little be for post crud....i am one of the oldest on this board, nurse for 29 years. try again.

Bully for you then :). Take out the first line and the rest is applicable.