I Have a Dirty Job!

Have you ever watched the show "Dirty Jobs" on the Discovery Channel? It's addicting. The host, a rather svelte, middle-aged man, attempts to participate in the daily life of men and women who have so-called "dirty jobs". Some of these jobs are down-right disgusting while others are just "messy". Click on this link to see some of these dirty jobs.

I have a dirty job! I'm a nurse. People who don't work in healthcare may not believe me but oh... I could tell you stories. I hate the protrayal of nurses on TV. ER is probably the best depiction of emergency room nurses. As for other medically inclined shows such as House, Scrubs, and Grey's Anatomy, the nurses are either glamorized or made to look like Atilla the Hun.

In essence, I wipe poop for a living. Sure, you'll never find it directly written into my job description, but it's there. Read between the lines, people. It's called "direct patient care". Sure, that's not all I do on any given night, but this job is certainly not for the faint at heart. If there is a fluid a human can produce, I've probably gotten on my arm or in my hair at one time or another. When a baby poops, everyone giggles. When you stick your head out of your room to tell your neighbors that your patient has pooped, people run. Wiping the poo of a 450 lb man is no walk in the park. It can sometimes take up to six nurses and techs to successfully complete this task. It takes three to pull, one to push, one to hold up the butt cheek, and one to wipe. It's enough to work up quite a sweat.

If it weren't for those darn HIPPA laws, I would double-dog dare Mike Rowe to come spend a day in my "dirty job".