Trying to avoid undesirable CNA duties

Nursing Students CNA/MA

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Does anybody know of any CNA jobs where you don't have to wash the patients or or wipe butts? Also I'm a sophomore BSN student with an associates in engineering and 6 months volunteer work at a hospital and worked in plant engineering at another hospital. Might any of this helps with job oppertunities where I don't have to wipe or wash people?

Specializes in Psychiatric, MICA.

I am a psych RN and our techs tend to sit back and grin at the nurses when such needs arise...:). I am a bad one to help as I don't mind doing it - I decided when I chose Nursing that I would accept all body fluids as equal.

In the spirit of that decision, I suggest that there is nothing "undesirable" about washing bodies or working with body fluids. It is simply your perspective that makes it seem so.

D

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My question is: for what reason did you choose nursing as a career if you're so averse to providing this type of care? Not saying you don't have a good reason, but I'm curious.

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Honey, you need to get out of nursing all together! We do just that all day, every day.

So get over yourself and get a different profession. The patients don't need your attitude.

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Specializes in Clinical Research, Outpt Women's Health.

If you are not ready for that yet (I am not assuming you will never be ready) then take a phlebotomy course and works as a phlebotomist. Good experience for nursing and no butt wiping!

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Staffing coordinators are common in nursing homes/LTC facilities in the city where I reside. The staffing coordinator is usually a CNA with solid skills in written and verbal communication, organization, and dealing with people. Responsibilities include filling the staffing holes, calling people into work when a shift needs to be filled, accepting sick calls and call-ins, and preparing the schedule on a weekly basis.

Central supply managers are also common in the nursing homes/LTC facilities in the city where I live. The central supply manager role is usually filled by a CNA in the facilities in my area. The job involves ordering and reordering supplies such as OTC medications, mattresses, briefs, linens, creams, lotions, syringes, glucometers, ostomy supplies, respiratory supplies, and other things that are essential to the facility.

The state where I reside utilizes medication aides, which are CNAs with several months of training in medication administration. The medications aides with whom I work pass oral medications, administer eye drops, apply patches, and so forth.

You answered the OP's question WITHOUT making a judgement call and making her feel bad. Bravo :yeah:

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Specializes in oncology; med-surg; management.

Nursing is about taking care of the "whole person", and not just the fun stuff. To be a good nurse and make a difference, it is about being a team player. If you have this attitude so early on, you'd better think long and hard whether this is the right profession. I've been a nurse with a BSN for 20 years, have precepted many new nurses, and the first thing I tell them is that if they ever feel they are "above" a task no matter how gross or menial they feel it is, they are in the wrong field. I am currently in a management position, and although I would not say I would ENJOY it, I would wipe a butt in a heartbeat if that was the patient's need at that moment.

ALWAYS put the patient first, be empathetic and consider if that was you, your mother, your sister, your grandfather in that bed and how you would want them treated. Would you want someone who didn't want to wipe butts taking care of them? I think not!

Being a team player means pulling up your sleeves and getting in the trenches with all the others to get the job done. Being an RN doesn't mean you don't have to do a certain task, it means you GET to do things some of the others cannot because you will have a broader scope.

This is not meant to be negative or discouraging, just a reality check. I wish you the best of luck!

:nurse: westmar

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Specializes in Head trauma Rehab, NeuroPsych 3.

BRAVO to all my fellow Nurses... it's particularily relavent to my own lifespan in Nursing, now 30 years as a (Male) in Nursing, as an RN, BSN I have been twice a patient, fighting Cancer and having had some major surgery, (lets say down below)... I worked, Neuro rehab, Ortho, Gen Med-Surg, ICU and now Psych...

So, with some humility and tons of admiration, I say thank you to the many Nurses that assisted me with hygiene needs and proper disease and infection protection, while in their care, and they did it preserving my dignity, respect, and careing and again thanks for helping me when I could not do it for myself... it's that Compassion, Commitment to care, and concern for anothers' comfort, dignity and need to NOT feel like they are a burdon, problem or "unwanted task", that helped me to focus my energies on getting well and maintain a POSITIVE outlook on my hospitalization confinements and recovery.

I ultamately had to leave Nursing on Disability for almost 10 years, and, 4 years ago my condition improved, Chronic Fatigue lifted and I, studied for 3 months and sat for NCLEX and re-licensed for my RN ( I had let it expire, thinking I'd never be able to return)... I'm now in the Psych realm of Nursing, 1 job is longterm chronic and Forensic. the other is Drug Detox, and Rehab, and all patients have hygiene needs and also have alot of incontinence issues, the 3-4 MHT's you have cannot keep up with them all, so as floor Nurses, Charge, medications, or otherwise, you'll have to step up and do what is needed and I'd hope it would be done with grace, humility and genuine care, if not than Nursing just might not be the correct fit for your profession and economic future.

The patients that WILL get a careing and compassionate Nurse will be better off and appreciate that you were wise to change to another field that doesn't require you to be as giving and kind... Just put yourself in the others shoes, er bed, and think how you'd feel being the patient!

I can state witout doubt, One day, you will look back on your OP and realize that to be a Great Nurse, you have to be "selfless" when it come to rendering patient care. sorry for the long post guys, but I had to say thanks for the great posts, and wanted to help to make the OP see what real Nurses are made of... ;) Jeff

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Specializes in Peds and adult ED, trauma.
If you're already a 2nd year BSN student and you are against wiping butts, you might consider a different major/profession. The "higher up the ladder" you get, the nastier the gore becomes.

Like or not, this quote is right on. If you really have issues with this, perhaps a job where you're elbows deep it would help you overcome the aversion to body fluids and "such," or give you a well-rounded view of what nursing is, the good, the bad and the downright "crappy."

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Specializes in Oral care, diabetes, caries management.

Interesting to read the replies to this question. Some nurses are just like dental hygienists! Just because this person doesn't like handling people physically doesn't make the person lazy or a potentially bad nurse. As was pointed out by a number of people, there are other jobs in nursing that don't require direct patient contact or help with ADLs.

I could say the same about nurses who love that kind of thing and relate it to the lack of oral care we find in dependent people. It's not getting done, at all! Sure a handful of the people responding to this thread will say that they do oral care, let me assure you, you are in the minority.

Many hygienists think nurses or CNA are lazy for not providing oral care. Does that mean hygienists are superior to you because they understand and do enter into the body and provide care there?

This thread is defiantly a different strokes kind of thing.

Shirley Gutkowski, RDH, BSDH, FACE

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Specializes in oncology; med-surg; management.

Absolutely there are other nursing jobs that don't necessarily require "dirty work", however going into the nursing field with that mindset is not a good sign. It's not an issue of laziness, but ATTITUDE

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Specializes in LTC, Psych, Hospice.
Does anybody know of any CNA jobs where you don't have to wash the patients or or wipe butts? Also I'm a sophomore BSN student with an associates in engineering and 6 months volunteer work at a hospital and worked in plant engineering at another hospital. Might any of this helps with job oppertunities where I don't have to wipe or wash people?

Wow! You got some really good suggestions here, but I just wanted to add my :twocents:. I've been a LPN for 14 years and am currently in a BSN bridge program. Just yesterday at work I had to clean poop. I'm guessing that as a RN there will be times I'll clean poop, it just goes with the job. As nurses we want to keep our pts clean and healthy. I'm thinking you may enjoy being a psych tech or lab tech. Not much poop there, but keep in mind that as a nurse you will have it from time to time.

Curious though, was exactly do you do with an associate degree in engineering? Good luck in your career decisions!

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Think hard about this one. The best time to do a skin assessment on your patient is when they happen to be incontinent of stool or urine and you assist them. How do you know how their coccyx looks if your never looking at their "butt". You are in the wrong profession if you can't be humble enough to clean up after your patients who have no control. Wiping butts is not ONLY a CNA duty it is the duty of RNs as well. And shame on you if your patient is sitting in their stool and you say, hang on, let me get the CNA to clean you up...Think if that was your grandma. Have some respect and dignity for your patients, don't just come for the paycheck!

A recommendation is scheduled toileting. Doing clinic nursing or psych nursing.

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