Trying to avoid undesirable CNA duties

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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?

hold your breath or put a tea bag under a face mask to vent out the smell! trick I learned...

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Specializes in Renal; NICU.

@Happy2learn:

You cracked me up with the whatever I have to shove up my nose!! I think one of those Altoids would just about do it!! Ohhh, you had it in your mouth?! just kidding.

Just let me say, I work in NICU and there have been some times that the little preemie stinker has made me gag, esp when they give that innocent look and $**t all over my hand, the inside the isolette, out the arm hole...yep, it may be a smaller butt, BUT it can still be a stinky butt!!!

Hey, I'll take it over dentures, ANYDAY!!!:eek:

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@Happy2learn:

You cracked me up with the whatever I have to shove up my nose!! I think one of those Altoids would just about do it!! Ohhh, you had it in your mouth?! just kidding.

Just let me say, I work in NICU and there have been some times that the little preemie stinker has made me gag, esp when they give that innocent look and $**t all over my hand, the inside the isolette, out the arm hole...yep, it may be a smaller butt, BUT it can still be a stinky butt!!!

Hey, I'll take it over dentures, ANYDAY!!!:eek:

:lol2::lol2::lol2::yeah:

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Specializes in L & D; Postpartum.

There are butts to kiss in staff nursing, too, but usually it's your nurse manager's or someone else who hasn't a clue what you experience.

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There are butts to kiss in staff nursing, too, but usually it's your nurse manager's or someone else who hasn't a clue what you experience.

I'll take butt wiping over butt kissing any day!

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Specializes in Mostly geri :).

OP-I promise I won't yell at you-just want to share a story with you. When I was 14, I was a victim of a sexual assault. I went to the ER following the incident-I had cocky, higher than though nurses who'd come in for 5 minutes and leave-but I had a housekeeper stick around, giving me the vomit thingie when I needed it, holding my hand when I'd cry-that's who I remember, not who has an ASN vs. BSN on their tag. Bottom line-if someone needs changed and you can't stomach it, please stick to ambulatory settings. Best wishes :)

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Specializes in Oncology/Haemetology/HIV.
Well, first I wonder the reason behind the OP wanting to avoid the butt wiping and bathing. I could understand if they have a sensitivity like me, however, their approach is not proper.

Let me say that I have a very sensitive stomach and gag reflex when it comes to poo. It's not the look, it's the smell. I can handle looks and other smells, just not poo. I just got done with my 3 days of CNA clinicals this week.

But I do have to say that NONE of the nurses (LPN or RN) helped with patient care. None. All they did was pass meds and do g tube feedings. I have a friend who is an LPN at a different LTC and she never wipes butts or does baths. She mainly passes meds also.

I could be wrong, but was this a LTC/NH?

Chances are, the RN and LPNs have little time but to do paperwork, pass meds, do wound care and tube feeds. That is their role in those settings. That is why staffing there is such that it is.

One da, you may learn that "all she does is pass meds" takes a lot more time than you thought that it would.

In the hospital settings, we tend to do more personal care and are presumably staffed for that. I tend to do mostly primary care, and generally am the one do my pts personal care, thus wipe plenty of bottoms.

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Specializes in PACU, LTC, Med-Surg, Telemetry, Psych.

Reality checking in.

Most places except really cheap places, you can be a RN or LPN/LVN and never have to touch any brown or yellow material!

Yes, you MAY have to do this sometimes. But I gaurantee 99% of the time, most will just walk out and call a CNA. Some of you that do do it, will start talking bad about that CNA if this happens too much.

Im not griping. This is Nursing Culture. Most students know this. All CNAs know this. Any place that makes RNs/LPNs do this on a regular basis (not once every few days) cannot retain nurses.

Just truth.

Yes, OP did state being in a BSN program. But it means nothing until you actually get RN. For all practical purposes, it is a CNA career question. Maybe OP wants to get some cool medical experience and not have to wade thru the yellow sea while the nurses are sitting up at the desk playing with iphones and making awesome money until the OP can join them :)

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Specializes in Oncology/Haemetology/HIV.

My reality check.

I have worked in 17 different facilities in the US as an RN. 5 of them have been rated in the honor roll of the top 15 facilities in the country. And those 5 have no trouble keeping staff.

My current work place has less than a 1% vacancy rate.

And in all of them, at least on a daily basis, I have handled brown, red, and yellow stuff.

Your truth is hardly everyone's truth.

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Specializes in PACU, LTC, Med-Surg, Telemetry, Psych.
My reality check.

I have worked in 17 different facilities in the US as an RN. 5 of them have been rated in the honor roll of the top 15 facilities in the country. And those 5 have no trouble keeping staff.

My current work place has less than a 1% vacancy rate.

And in all of them, at least on a daily basis, I have handled brown, red, and yellow stuff.

Your truth is hardly everyone's truth.

Maybe I have been in the wrong facilities.

But, in the two states I have worked in, it is much like I have described.

Hospitals are different, though. Most of the best RNs that are not afraid work there.

Nursing Homes, however, which use the majority of CNAs are a completely different story.

edit:

Bottom line is if someone as a CNA does not want to deal with 20 rooms diapers and tube feedings do have options.

I have worked in adult psych and PACUs and do not clean very much at all. I am also far from lazy. I am just calling out some of these (the majority it seems) that slam folks when they are not willing to do this themselves. Not the nurses that are actually on the front lines with their assistants.

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Specializes in IMCU.
I'll take butt wiping over butt kissing any day!

At least one can put gloves on your hands for butt wiping! No protection in butt kissing.

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Well, I have worked in 3 hospitals as a CNA, LPN, RN and in the RN role, charge nurse for 9 years. Even as charge nurse I had to clean up after patients and enjoyed doing it because I can imagine that made them feel better. Actually, in the first class in the nursing program we had to learn how to give a bath and change bed linen with a patient in the bed. We had to learn how to place a bedpan properly under a patient and how to properly wash after bedpan use. That is considered BASIC NURSING duties. It is nice to have CNA's to do some of these things when we are busy giving medications or calling a doctor because our patient is not doing well but they are still basic nursing duties that we all have to do. The patient really does not care about getting their medication on time as they are getting the bedpan or getting cleaned up when they have soiled themselves. If I were in their position I would feel the same way. Patients care more about getting a bath everyday and they don't care who does it and oftentimes it is the nurse that does some of the baths. From experience it does not matter what your level of nursing is, nursing is hoslistic care in most positions.

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