Is an RN a dirty job? do you have to deal with cleaning people?

While most facilities have CNAs or other patient support people who can assist with the "activities of daily living" such as bathing, toileting, feeding, etc., don't believe for a minute that as an RN you would never have to do these tasks.





You'll never make it through nursing school without wiping some behinds, cleaning up some vomit, etc.





But these tasks are a very small part of your responsibilities as an RN. You take the bad with the good. Nobody LIKES having to do these tasks, but you will have to just suck it up and do it when it's necessary. If you can't make yourself do that, then you aren't going to make it through nursing school, let alone as a working RN.





Some jobs are inherently more "messy" than others, some patient populations and job settings that don't have acutely ill people who are unable to take care of themselves like out patient clinics, etc., you won't do much cleaning up after people.
Is an RN a dirty job? do you have to deal with cleaning people?
RN is not a dirty job if you work in a hospital or a nursing home there are PSW that clean and take care the dirty jobs RN are to look after meds, and problems etc... But it depends on your task's to complete and if there are certain job plans laid out by the co-ordinator if the home or hospital or where you work
Reply:Just getting through nursing school clinicals will disgust you if you can't handle excrement, urine, drool, vomit, blood, and mucus. There's also the cleaning up of a body before the funeral home comes for the pick-up.


If you want to enter a medical field, none of the jobs are without their share of disgusting things unless you work in hospital administration, are a dietitian, or work in the kitchen.
Reply:No. RN's deal with meds quite a bit and the more complicated bedside nursing but the more earthy stuff - like bathing, cleaning up of messes, etc is left to the RNA's, LPN's, etc. RN's also deal with a bit of administrative stuff and in some cases, scheduling of staff.
Reply:It depends on the type of nursing you are doing. In many cases the CNAs do all the dirty work but a nurse will occasionally have to clean people up. there are also tasks that are quite unpleasant for nurses.
Reply:It seriously depends on the type of unit you work on and how short staffed your hospital is. I work in the ICU and yes, RN's do a TON of the dirty work. Several units in our hospital are also under-staffed as far as CNA's go, so the RN's on those units also take care of their patients.


If you are not a sympathetic, caring and nurturing person.. nursing is probably not the career path you should follow.
Reply:ahhh yes, you do have to clean people. If you work in a clinic, or at a school or something like that, perhaps you wouldn't. But in most nursing jobs, you will have to clean people, deal with bodily fluids and do things that you would never even dream you would do to someone. If you have a weak stomach, you shouldn't get into it. You need to be able to talk about bodily functions while eating your lunch....because that is what you will be doing if you are a nurse. In fact, you will probably have your sandwich in your pocket half the afternoon before you finish it.
Reply:Some yes, some no. If you work in a doctor's office, the answer is no, but the pay is atrocious. Some jobs pay more, but it's the work that is atrocious. The higher your degree, the better the job opportunities. RN's can work for insurance companies, medical equipment companies, home health agencies, HMO's, medical malpractice lawyers, schools, large corporations, and state regulatory agencies. It is what you make of it.
Reply:i think that is only for hospice and inpatients. i dont think you do otherwise...





the only thing i know they do is constant sterilization. my mom is an MA (does most of the RN duties) and she never once cleaned up a person. she just works in the clinics of kaiser.





might i add i work in kaiser but im just a receptionist for now. as far as i know those are the only ones that give the OH SO FAMOUS "SPONGE BATH." lol.