Feces, Bed Side Toilet, and the ED

[txprodigal]

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[Bacchus]

You will be exposed to poo and you will disimpact many a bowel.

 

[meliora27]

While you probably won't be cleaning too many toilets in medical school, you will undoubtedly be subjected to an array of tasks that you may find "gross." That being said, volunteering in the ED can be a mixed bag, and this probably won't be the last time you are asked to do something that may gross you out, however that's part of the game. In your defense however, you may actually not be allowed to do a task like that. Depending on the state you're in and the legal technicalities, as a volunteer, you may not be covered under the hospitals liability coverage if you were to contract something as a result of your expose to such pathogens while in the capacity of a volunteer. If you have any questions, speak to the volunteer coordinator.

 

[zpiff]

You will be exposed to poo and you will disimpact many a bowel.

This is almost poetic.

 

[8744]

I volunteer in the ED, and I was asked to clean the bedside toilet today. I was completely disgusted by this, and I answered that I have never done it before. Later, I said that it wasn't part of my job description, because I never wanted to be asked to do that again. (According to the by laws of the volunteering program, we really aren't supposed to do things like that.)


Is this something I would have to do during medical school or residency? Does this make me a bad potential physician? Any thoughts are appreciated.

Don't sweat it. Almost every day I thank my lucky stars that I am not a nurse and therefore do not have to clean up patients who have crapped themselves, empty bedpans, or deal with stool (except for the occasional disimpaction, something that it almost takes an act of congress to get me to do now).

And nasty disgusting feet still bother me. I double glove if I have to touch some nasty bum's feet to check for a pulse.

Medicine is gross. Many patients are disgusting and have no idea how to wipe their own asses or use a bar of soap.

 

[TehDoc]

Most likely you shouldn't be handling feces.

 

[txprodigal]

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[Lukkie]

is it bad that i get this disgusted? will i be able to tell the patient care technician or the nurse to take care of that when the time comes?

 

[Law2Doc]

thanks, i understand that i'm not supposed to do things like this as a volunteer, but i am questioning whether i will be required to do things like this regularly as a medical student or as a physician.

As folks have mentioned, you won't be cleaning bedside commodes as a student or physician (that's usually relegated to the poor nurse or orderly), but you absolutely will be putting fingers into people's rectums (recti?) quite a few times in med school and beyond. It's the way you determine the presence of occult rectal bleeding and the only way to check the prostate in male patients, or to do a bimanual exam on female gyn patients. And since folks rarely use enemas or go-lytely before their routine checkups or emergency hospitalizations, often there will be abundant feces in many a rectal vault. So yes, your gloved hand will come in contact with feces at many points on the road to your professional career. And sure, there will be folks who require disimpaction -- particularly folks on opiates and other meds that slow motility, and that often ends up being the job of whomever is lowest on the totem pole -- either the intern or med student. Think of it as a rite of passage.

 

[bigman225]

angry nurses

 

[Kaustikos]

No, it's not bad.

Yes, you will be able to tell them to take care of it.

They will roll their eyes and make snide comments about you behind your back. Some of the older nurses will tell you to your face that if you want to be a good doctor you have to do the nurses' jobs for them.

You will mumble something incoherrent and walk away.

Early in your career episodes like this will embarrass you and you will second guess yourself. Three months into your internship you will realize that they are trying to take advantage of you, and that you hate them, and you will stop caring.

THAT's where the nurse and doctor hate thing occurs.

 

[deleted74029]

I shadowed a GI recently who did 30+ colonoscopies a day. Alot of the patients began poopooing during the procedure and I'm sure some got on his hands.

 

[Depakote]

Don't sweat it. Almost every day I thank my lucky stars that I am not a nurse and therefore do not have to clean up patients who have crapped themselves, empty bedpans, or deal with stool (except for the occasional disimpaction, something that it almost takes an act of congress to get me to do now).

And nasty disgusting feet still bother me. I double glove if I have to touch some nasty bum's feet to check for a pulse.

Medicine is gross. Many patients are disgusting and have no idea how to wipe their own asses or use a bar of soap.

trauma handshake?

 

[Kaustikos]

I shadowed a GI recently who did 30+ colonoscopies a day. Alot of the patients began poopooing during the procedure and I'm sure some got on his hands.

SDN is filled with 6 year olds.

 

[Lukkie]

SDN is filled with 6 year olds.

and that's only the people that are late to the game

 

[Hurricane95]

Rectal exam? Sure, I'll double-glove and do the quick in n out.

Clean toilets or other things? Hell no, of course not. That's not my job. I'm paying $30k a year NOT to do janitor work, but to learn medicine.

 

[ar2388]

haha id rather stick my gloved fingers into someones rectum than have someone stick their glvoed fingers into mine. lol anyone with me?

and i hope i never have to change a bedpan... or clean up vomit. I cannot stand the smell of vomit.. makes me want to hurl.. sort of like that family guy episode where they all drank.. ipecac i think? spelling? lol

 

[txprodigal]

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[foolz0r]

I drew the line at dealing with urine/poop, the rules where you volunteer probably prohibit contact with patient bodily fluids anyway (yay liability!). My philosophy was to let the paid professionals handle it 🙂

 

[DrBowtie]

thanks for all the responses. it's given me some relief... i think i could probably stand a rectal exam, because it's important for the diagnosis and for the medical treatment, but as someone said above, i didn't sign up for this to become a janitor.


thanks.

You're right. Although the janitor is higher in the hierarchy than you as a volunteer.

 

[txprodigal]

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[EpiPEN]

Can't we just both do it at the same time?

hawt

 

[engineeredout]

Whether you can handle it or not is your own problem, but a volunteer should be nowhere near cleaning that up, at least thats what we were told at the ED I volunteer at.

 

[DrYoda]

Whether you can handle it or not is your own problem, but a volunteer should be nowhere near cleaning that up, at least thats what we were told at the ED I volunteer at.

Agreed, I thought volunteers were supposed to hang out in the lounge drinking coffee (what a bunch of them do at the hospital around here).

 

[NoMoreAMCAS]

Don't sweat it. Almost every day I thank my lucky stars that I am not a nurse and therefore do not have to clean up patients who have crapped themselves, empty bedpans, or deal with stool (except for the occasional disimpaction, something that it almost takes an act of congress to get me to do now).

And nasty disgusting feet still bother me. I double glove if I have to touch some nasty bum's feet to check for a pulse.

Medicine is gross. Many patients are disgusting and have no idea how to wipe their own asses or use a bar of soap.

 

[MonkeyNuts!]

I volunteer in the ED, and I was asked to clean the bedside toilet today. I was completely disgusted by this, and I answered that I have never done it before. Later, I said that it wasn't part of my job description, because I never wanted to be asked to do that again. (According to the by laws of the volunteering program, we really aren't supposed to do things like that.)


Is this something I would have to do during medical school or residency? Does this make me a bad potential physician? Any thoughts are appreciated.

Get over it quick.

A third yr friend of mine said during his OB/GYN rotation he saw women during childbirth defecating simultaneously due to the massive Valsalva.

I've already tried to prepare myself for this. How? 2 Girls 1 Cup.

 

[moe_4eva]

This thread is on of the major reasons I'm glad I will no longer be the lowest on the totem poll. I can't tell you how many times I've helped with the whole bed-side commode thing, and had to clean it up after. Definitely gives you a bit of respect for those that are forced to do it daily (like I was)...

 

[Lukkie]

I've already tried to prepare myself for this. How? 2 Girls 1 Cup.

maybe its just because ive been on the internet for over 10 years now and an avid user of forums, but i agree. honestly after things like goatse, tubgirl, 2girls1cup, and a whole host of even more ridiculous things, i could probably have a calm steak/lobster dinner while watching a woman defecating during childbirth

 

[DoctorOfRock]

maybe its just because ive been on the internet for over 10 years now and an avid user of forums, but i agree. honestly after things like goatse, tubgirl, 2girls1cup, and a whole host of even more ridiculous things, i could probably have a calm steak/lobster dinner while watching a woman defecating during childbirth

Hahahah. It's statements like this that make me glad to be a part of the SDN community. Are there hoards of neurotic pre-meds (myself included)? Yes. But hell, I find SDN a stress reliever from time to time. Thanks for that.

 

[Law2Doc]

Get over it quick.

A third yr friend of mine said during his OB/GYN rotation he saw women during childbirth defecating simultaneously due to the massive Valsalva.

Yeah, that happens pretty regularly. It's all part of the miracle of childbirth, which isn't exactly a clean process.

 

[Law2Doc]

.. or clean up vomit. I cannot stand the smell of vomit.. makes me want to hurl.. sort of like that family guy episode where they all drank.. ipecac i think? spelling? lol

You may well get vomited on as a med student or resident. Especially in peds and ED settings. It's all part of the territory. You just have to learn when and how fast to duck.

 

[DrCio]

No, it's not bad.

Yes, you will be able to tell them to take care of it.

They will roll their eyes and make snide comments about you behind your back. Some of the older nurses will tell you to your face that if you want to be a good doctor you have to do the nurses' jobs for them.

You will mumble something incoherrent and walk away.

Early in your career episodes like this will embarrass you and you will second guess yourself. Three months into your internship you will realize that they are trying to take advantage of you, and that you hate them, and you will stop caring.

I really don't understand this attitude. As someone who spent a year as a nursing assistant I did the stuff the powertripping nurses didn't want to do. But seriously, why is the power trip so necessary? TRUST me, if you can befriend your nurses it will make your life a lot easier. Medicine is a team effort, as it should be. If you are trusing these nurses to take care of your patients while you are not around, you might as well give them a bit of respect.

 

[silverhorse84]

I volunteer in the ED, and I was asked to clean the bedside toilet today. I was completely disgusted by this, and I answered that I have never done it before. Later, I said that it wasn't part of my job description, because I never wanted to be asked to do that again. (According to the by laws of the volunteering program, we really aren't supposed to do things like that.)


Is this something I would have to do during medical school or residency? Does this make me a bad potential physician? Any thoughts are appreciated.

Haha, just be glad you're not a veterinarian! I thought about that path for a while, then realized I didn't want to deal with patients who can't talk. However, I did work with a equine vet for a while, and watched him have to stick his entire arm (gloved up to the shoulder obviously) up a horses rectum and clean it out in order to do a routine check up 🙁

I definitely have a lot of respect for vets! 😉

 

[BruceBanner]

You should in no way have to touch or deal with poop as a volunteer. That is absurd. And I'm pretty sure there are laws or regulations preventing volunteers from being exposed that deliberately.

This is why I would never be a nurse. For the birds, I say.

 

[JRJ26]

as a volunteer you shouldn't be doing anything patient care related or even janitorial. Cleaning out a commode is usually the housekeeper's job, not the nurse's or clinical technicians. Cleaning up vomit is also the housekeeper's job, not the nurse's (though they may quickly wipe up some of it so it doesn't cause a hazard. You won't have to do any of this as a medical student or resident. Where I work volunteers only give out blankets, ask if someone needs water, give children books to read, and ask patients to fill out the registration form.

As a medical student, resident, and physician (well depending on your residency), you will see (and smell) urine, vomit, feces, infected feet, and worse smells. When you get to the ER, you'll get to deal with the urine soaked drunk patient, the woman with runny diarrhea, the guy with feet so badly infected and necrotic that the entire room smells horrible. Nope, you won't have to change or clean them, but you might have to do a rectal, and you'll have to stand there for the H&P while smelling those awesome smells. It's always a good day in the ER when the entire department smells horrible, all from one patient. It's ok if you can't deal with the smells yet. Mouth breathing is your friend

 

[DrYoda]

As a medical student, resident, and physician (well depending on your residency), you will see (and smell) urine, vomit, feces, infected feet, and worse smells. When you get to the ER, you'll get to deal with the urine soaked drunk patient, the woman with runny diarrhea, the guy with feet so badly infected and necrotic that the entire room smells horrible. Nope, you won't have to change or clean them, but you might have to do a rectal, and you'll have to stand there for the H&P while smelling those awesome smells. It's always a good day in the ER when the entire department smells horrible, all from one patient. It's ok if you can't deal with the smells yet. Mouth breathing is your friend

I'm ready for it.

Think this will fly with the hospital dress code?

 

[JRJ26]

sometimes i wish that was part of the uniform. those radiologists have it good 😉

 

[Mr Cookie Pants]

OP, what do you wear in your ER? When I volunteered in my premed days, I had to dress nice (button down and slacks). They never asked me to touch anything gross although I would help out in dire circumstances.

If they want you to wear scrubs, then you're fair game to clean.

If it was a GI bleed toilet, I'd hand them my badge and say no thanks. Acrid diarrhea, no way that's worth cleaning just for your CV. Go do some research or something.

 

[txprodigal]

OP, what do you wear in your ER? When I volunteered in my premed days, I had to dress nice (button down and slacks). They never asked me to touch anything gross although I would help out in dire circumstances.

If they want you to wear scrubs, then you're fair game to clean.

If it was a GI bleed toilet, I'd hand them my badge and say no thanks. Acrid diarrhea, no way that's worth cleaning just for your CV. Go do some research or something.

Great question. I didn't really think about it before. I am basically business casual. White Dress Shirt with black dress pants and black dress shoes.