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Bedside procedures

How to give a bedpan or urinal

Other platforms explain it with text and video. In Making Synapses you practice it on the patient.

Nursing (NCLEX)
Practice it in VR with Blocky

Dignity and skin care matter as much as the task.

Step by step

  1. Privacy

    Close the curtain, explain. [1]

  2. Gloves and position

    Head of bed slightly raised; roll the patient and place the pan, or have them lift hips. [1]

  3. Fracture pan

    For hip problems or limited movement. [1]

  4. Call light

    In reach; give privacy. [1]

  5. Remove and clean

    Hold the pan steady; clean front to back. [1]

  6. Measure and record

    If intake and output is ordered; hand hygiene for the patient too. [1]

Common errors

Practice it in Making Synapses

In Making Synapses you do this on the patient, not on paper: every step goes on the checklist with a score, and in Teach mode Blocky tells you what comes next.

Making Synapses cases that train this skill

Sources

  1. Open RN, Nursing Fundamentals 2e (CC BY 4.0)
  2. Open RN, Nursing Skills 2e (Chippewa Valley Technical College) (CC BY 4.0)
  3. OpenStax, Clinical Nursing Skills (reference)

Steps adapted from Open RN, Nursing Skills 2e (Chippewa Valley Technical College), licensed under CC BY 4.0. Facts and steps also follow OpenStax, Clinical Nursing Skills (reference). Making Synapses is not affiliated with these organizations. Updated: 2026-10-11.