Which type of environment can I work in that doesn't require very much bowel care?

[studentnurse1989]

Sorry if this seems like a silly question, but I am a student and am not very experienced yet. In my clinical placement, a lot of the care involved enemas and changing diapers. Sometimes I felt like I would gag from the smell. I am fine with blood and urine. Which type of environment can I work in that doesn't require a lot of bowel care? Thank you! :)

[MedicalLPN, LPN]

While there are areas of nursing that doesn't have a lot of "bowel care" involved i.e. office nursing, etc. it would be a shame to limit yourself to one particular specialty just to avoid administering an enema or changing a brief.

Just remember when giving care to someone, it's not about you, it's about the patient and when cleaning up a patient after an episode of incontinence it shouldn't be about your comfort level, it should be about getting them comfortable with dignity.

Please remember too that we often underestimate our own potential, we believe that we won't be able to handle certain situations and yet when they arise we don't freak out the way we thought we would. Please don't take offense to this message, I just think that if you stop and think about it, it's really quite trivial to go into an area of nursing you may not even be interested in order to avoid one minor piece of patient care.

One more thing, just remember you can always just refrain from breathing through your nose to avoid the smell or apply a small amount of vick's to your upper lip before administering care. Best of luck to you.

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

If you don't want to work with much poop, there's employment in clinics, doctors' offices, home health, psych, dialysis centers, etc. However, keep in mind that you will never completely be able to avoid poop altogether in these settings. For example, the little old lady in the clinic might have an incontinent episode, or the baby in the family practice doctors' office might have a diaper full of fecal matter. In addition, the unstable psych patient might smear feces on the walls of his/her room, or the patient receiving dialysis might be incontinent of bowel.

[MrsMig, BSN, RN]

I agree w/MedicalLPN - we often do underestimate our own potential. I, too, thought I couldn't handle smells but have been pleasantly surprised by my abiliting to mouth breathe and get through the task . I'm now working as a CNA and think nothing of changing briefs at any given point. It's amazing what you can accomplish when you have a positive attitude.

"Just remember when giving care to someone, it's not about you, it's about the patient and when cleaning up a patient after an episode of incontinence it shouldn't be about your comfort level, it should be about getting them comfortable with dignity."

Also, I think the quote above says it all. I can't tell you how many times I've heard this throughout my studies & training since September.

Good luck - if this is the career you want - you will overcome your fears and rise above!!

[teeniebert, LPN]

Check out this ongoing discussion in the 'First Year After Nursing Licensure' forum:

https://allnurses.com/first-year-after/scared-poop-help-267326.html

[shortscrubbs108]

This was a question that never got asked while I was in nursing school because one of the first things we were told is "every nurse is a poop nurse!" Well, I disagree. Honestly, if you don't want to work with BMs, look for a job where you don't have to. You can still be a nurse and not change diapers. I like my clinic jobin pulm, we work from the waist up. Although I must add that like TheCommuter said, you are going to be working with lots of people and some of them will occasionally be incontinent in the office. I don't mind helping them at all, but its not something I want to do all the time.

It is true though, that getting into a specialty isn't for everyone. I like knowing all about the lungs and referring them to a different doc for questions about poop and pee, but you have to do what you like.

[nursel56]

You could be a medication nurse in an LTC or perhaps work private duty - there may be poop involved but not all the time. You could work in an outpatient clinic or doctor's office as well.

[rn/writer, RN]

How about postpartum or well-baby nursery. Yeah, there's poop, but it comes in teeny tiny amounts and there isn't much odor. Newborn bottoms are just so darn cute you don't even mind changing them.

[systoly]

I just looked under the nursing specialties tab and the first three were case management, correctional nursing, legal nursing. I'm sure there are more, but looks like it would require RN.