This is kind of a silly question.... but I wondered if anyone who is a nurse or current nursing student gets sick at the thought of dealing with poo. I have changed a lot of diapers, babies, toddlers etc... and I know for an absolute fact that the older the person is...the more wretched the smell can be.
Is this something that you become desensitized to after doing it numerous times? I am fine with blood, breaks, urine etcs. It's the fecal matter that scares me.
I start nursing school in 2013, and definitely will not let the poo get in the way of my RN, but it is something that has crossed my mind. I would be so embarassed if I gagged or something changing someone and would NEVER ever want to embarass a patient. Please put my mind at ease and tell me that it isn't so bad after the first 30 changes.
I worked as a CNA before nursing school, and not only did I get used to poo, I actually grew to appreciate it. Poo can tell us SO much about a patient's condition, and you'll hopefully be proud of just how much poo tells you. I've found that while the "ick" factor doesn't universally go away, ration, curiosity, and habit do take the forefront.
Now, mucus? that's another story. I still felt physically, viscerally ill every time I suctioned a patient. I hoped it would go away, and working in critical care, I had plenty of quality trach time, but....no. My hats off to respiratory therapists everywhere, because I'd last about 2 hours on that job.
Worst pop I ever encountered was in a colostomy bag. It wasn't my pt was just helping with a bed to chair transfer of a pt who was dying from some type of GI cancer. I was positioned in front of him and just the smell hit me in the face. Like poo and death. I threw up in my mouth, swallowed it back down, and made a break for it ASAP.
Have to say c-diff is a beast. You can smell it in the hallway with the door closed.
Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.
There are different levels of feces smell and yes tera re times you will gag. I have smelled some pretty ripe urine that has gagged me and some pretty odoriferous woulds as well. You will learn to be a good actress. You will smell your shoulder...alot. I carry a small jar of Vick's vaporub in my pocket and rub under my nose when in need of relief. Believe It or not you do get used to it.
Poop happens. :n) Working as a CNA is a great thing. You will (hopefully) become de-sensitized to it and you will gain such valuable experience. Not to mention the fact when you do become a RN you will remember what it was like to be a CNA.
Specializes in Trauma, ER, ICU, CCU, PACU, GI, Cardiology, OR.
This is kind of a silly question.... but I wondered if anyone who is a nurse or current nursing student gets sick at the thought of dealing with poo. I have changed a lot of diapers, babies, toddlers etc... and I know for an absolute fact that the older the person is...the more wretched the smell can be.
Is this something that you become desensitized to after doing it numerous times? I am fine with blood, breaks, urine etcs. It's the fecal matter that scares me.
I start nursing school in 2013, and definitely will not let the poo get in the way of my RN, but it is something that has crossed my mind. I would be so embarassed if I gagged or something changing someone and would NEVER ever want to embarass a patient. Please put my mind at ease and tell me that it isn't so bad after the first 30 changes.
Thanks!!!
First of all Congratulations for being accepted for the RN program Unquestionably, your situation will change with time regarding your fear of dealing with fecal matter. Having said that, trust me when I say even after you're an RN you will have to confront this fear, for example RN's in ICU & CCU are expose to it on a daily basis. Moreover, one of the tricks that some nurses do is; to use a mask with a drop of a strong liquid, while they're working with a pt. However, there will be times that even the experienced nurses will gag, when their pt. is covered from head to toe in fecal matter; not to mention their finger nails etc. (I can almost see you right this minute gagging). In conclusion, always get someone to assist you when this occurs; trust me all of us RN's have payed our dues regarding this issue. Wishing you the best in all of your future endeavors~
You'll learn the mechanics of the breathing technique while handling the fecal matter.
I was never one to really be bothered with the stench of feces, but there is a method behind my madness. I simply don't inhale as frequently through the nasal passage.
Years ago when I was in the LPN Tract, myself and another nurse were to do colostomy care. Well, I got to watch while she did the hands on. She grimaced her face when she popped it off and the smell wafted up to her. Our instructor politely reminded her to watch the facial expressions when out of earshot of others. I crack up every time because her face was priceless. My blech is vomit. Babysitting yesterday, I had a baby eat so much then vomited. When that warm slimy feeling touches my hands gloved or not, I'm gagging can't help it.
You will absolutely become desensitized to it. One of my more humorous quotes I've been caught saying was that dealing with so many different smells poop makes has made me feel so much better at the normal smell of my own! Heh.
If it makes you feel better I worry too. I would never want to embarrass or humiliate a patient with my facial expressions. I feel like I *might* be okay...and that is a BIG might because I have a strong stomach with my family. My son projectile pooped in my mouth at 2 weeks old after getting his circumcision done. He had a reaction to the anesthesia and had already projectile puked in my face...so that was the icing on the cake. I figured hey, if I can eat sh*t I should be able to clean it! Of course mommy hormones were strong and I was more worried about my child then my discomfort. But that is how I have always been...even with others. I pray my concern for my patient overrides my momentary discomfort, b/c in reality it won't kill me to clean it up so what is the big deal?!
My husband is a police sgt and has seen everything. Bodies cut in half and strewn across highways, bloated dead people rotting in apartments in the middle of summer after several days....he gags when our children throw up. Everyone has their little vices whether it has to do with love or not, you'll deal with it. The fact that you are concerned and talking about it is a good sign I would say. Don't suck it up and then freeze in the moment later. Talking about it will help you square away in your head how you plan on dealing with it. If you are lucky like me...half of what you imagine and plan for is WAY worse than reality any way. :)
I am a CNA and I work at a hospital and we still deal with a lot of poop!
Sometimes I will get lucky and have to deal with only changing pee pee diapers. But there are days, like last night that I worked, I had what I call, a 'poop day.' That is basically all I dealt with all night, luckily, only one particular patient.
I dont know, you just kind of get used to it. At first you may gag, and sometimes, depending on the odor, I still gag too, (c. diff ugh!) Sometimes you just dont even smell it anymore.
When all is said and done, you will come to the realization that if they were able to do it themselves, they would. That it is just embarrassing to them that they need someone to wipe their bum up a lil bit. Once you realize the patient is comfortable and clean, you will feel better.
If it helps, a lot of the CNA's deal with poop more than the RNs. Not saying that RNs will not deal with poop, but if CNAs are available then they are first line of defense against the poo. If they patient is total care and cannot assist me to help them turn or if they are very obese that is when the RN and me clean the poop together. GO TEAM!
What I do, especially if I know that the patient has really lose or watery stool, I will put a gown on along with gloves, of course. I know it is probably wasteful but if you have to dig deep to clean it out, you wont want it where gloves dont reach, like your arms or upper wrists. Maybe you can even use a mask at first to help with smell? The mask never helps me with smell, I just plow through it and do it as quick as possible so the patient is clean and happy!
Some one mentioned vicks, and I know that some people put extra perfume on their sleeves of their scrubs so they have something to turn to and breathe in. There is always the breathe-through-your-mouth trick but that never helps me.
Good luck though, all I can say is that over time, you will get used to it.
Unquestionably, your situation will change with time regarding your fear of dealing with fecal matter. Having said that, trust me when I say even after you're an RN you will have to confront this fear, for example RN's in ICU & CCU are expose to it on a daily basis. Moreover, one of the tricks that some nurses do is; to use a mask with a drop of a strong liquid, while they're working with a pt. However, there will be times that even the experienced nurses will gag, when their pt. is covered from head to toe in fecal matter; not to mention their finger nails etc. (I can almost see you right this minute gagging). In conclusion, always get someone to assist you when this occurs; trust me all of us RN's have payed our dues regarding this issue. Wishing you the best in all of your future endeavors~ 
inthedistrict
16 Posts
I worked as a CNA before nursing school, and not only did I get used to poo, I actually grew to appreciate it. Poo can tell us SO much about a patient's condition, and you'll hopefully be proud of just how much poo tells you. I've found that while the "ick" factor doesn't universally go away, ration, curiosity, and habit do take the forefront.
Now, mucus? that's another story. I still felt physically, viscerally ill every time I suctioned a patient. I hoped it would go away, and working in critical care, I had plenty of quality trach time, but....no. My hats off to respiratory therapists everywhere, because I'd last about 2 hours on that job.