I HATE this!!!!

lovingtheunloved, ASN, RN · May 5, 2007

I'm also a nursing student(ADN program) and I know it depends on personal experience but how often do you think a nurse has to administer medications that could be in the rectal or lady partsl area?

If you work in a nursing home, you get real familiar with your residents' rectums.

RNJess10 · May 5, 2007

You'll especially love it when the residents decide to smear BM everywhere!

But not to discourage, I do love my residents.

msdobson · May 5, 2007

Just the underlying tones of your posting suggests to me that a Nursing career for you would last about a year before you bailed. That what you want? Because it is a LONG, HARD road full of ENDLESS hours of study if you want to pass the RN-board. Think VERY hard on this career path before you committ yourself, young lady.

As for those of you who are telling her to stick with it...have you all lost your minds? She obviously has tread the waters (as far as she is concerned) and has decided that this is NOT the career she thought it would be by watching ER.

It is up to us to dissuade those who might be making a fatal career choice as vehemently as we support others.

Michael

msdobson · May 5, 2007

If you work in a nursing home, you get real familiar with your residents' rectums.

:-D If you work in a HOSPITAL you get really familiar with your pt's rectums.

Michael

summersent · May 5, 2007

I am so upset and don't know exactly what to do. I am four weeks into my CNA I class (required to start RN school, which I am scheduled for in August). Clinicals start in 2 more weeks and I am skeeved out! I don't like touching people and am absolutely disgusted at the idea of wahing people's hair, giving massages w/o gloves (who is doing this for me???), bathing them, and especially cleaning up thier poop (my teacher got mad at me for asking if I cold wear a mask while doing this). When I found out about removing fecal impactions, well that sent me over the edge. Class is also very boring! I just don't know if this is for me. Will it get better when I am an RN, or is this all it is? I am sorry and mean no disrespect to those of you who love it, but I just dread going to class every day. What is going on with me?

why exactly do you want to become a nurse if you dont like touching people?

Soup Turtle · May 5, 2007

I've only seen a video about fecal impactions, but it was a bit disturbing!

It featured a mannequin that actually had "poo juice" running down the buttocks as the "chunks" were being dug out. Our whole class had an "Oh, my!" moment!!! :lol2: I'm hoping not to have to do that toooooo often, but if I do, I guess I'll get used to it. I haven't run into anyone in my first semester class that's bothered by massage or washing hair, though. I think you should reconsider nursing if you have a strong aversion to that sort of light-weight stuff. :uhoh3:

For me, having the opportunity to read through the patient's charts made all the difference. It humanized the people I was working with and helped me look beyond the yucky stuff. Good luck with whatever you decide!

pagandeva2000, LPN · May 7, 2007

SWTOOTH- That is all part of nursing. You may not have to do it all the time, but will have to do it. I remember the first time I "dug out" someone, I walked up to the DON and asked her what the heck did I go into nursing for. YUCK, YUCK, AND MORE YUCK. But then as chadash stated what if the tables were turned and you were the one that needed assistance, you would want someone to help you. The smell and ickiness doesn't last forever. Also I don't think any nurses enjoy most of the icky jobs and if they say they do, they're fibbing (sp), but it is part of the job. As for chadash, I wish I worked with more CNA's that have your mentality. You sound like an excellent aid, who is in this strange career we call nursing for all the right reasons.

Just a bit curious, where did swtooth say that he/she was turned off? This is the person that mentioned that as a nurse, lady partsl and rectal medications are to be administered. Do you think that your comment was made to the wrong person? Not trying to be funny, just trying to understand the thread and who is being addressed.

pagandeva2000, LPN · May 7, 2007

Just the underlying tones of your posting suggests to me that a Nursing career for you would last about a year before you bailed. That what you want? Because it is a LONG, HARD road full of ENDLESS hours of study if you want to pass the RN-board. Think VERY hard on this career path before you committ yourself, young lady.
As for those of you who are telling her to stick with it...have you all lost your minds? She obviously has tread the waters (as far as she is concerned) and has decided that this is NOT the career she thought it would be by watching ER.
It is up to us to dissuade those who might be making a fatal career choice as vehemently as we support others.
Michael

I wouldn't throw in the towel to this person just yet, because many people are disillusioned about nursing, yet, rebound to become excellent nurses. I can agree, as a nurse myself, that becoming an LPN or RN is a long, hard and isolated road, filled with fear and frustration. While the OPs post does leave one to ponder if she/he can, in fact survive nursnig school or generate compassion, I have seen even worse become the best once reality has set in. Or, get thrown out of the nursing program in fundamentals.

My first semester in nursing school was uneventful until the told me that I had to drop NG tubes. I can deal with the piss, poop and vomit, but something about placing something into someone's throat made me lose my cool. But, I did it. Luckily, I have not had to do it since I became a nurse, but if it does, I will take a deep breath, make sure that a more seasoned nurse is around and do what I have to do.

chadash · May 7, 2007

After reading the other post, I retract my enthusiastic "don't give up, you'll get used to it" comment.

It is important for you to examine whether this is what you want to do. I do believe if you really want to be a nurse, if you love helping people even in difficult situations, you can get passed the hesitancy we all have with the yuckier aspects and the shyness with people.

Here is a test. When you are confronted with a really yucky situation, lots of poo, or a very sad wound, of course, first reaction is a level of repulsion, but next reaction is "I got to get this poo off this person" or "how do we treat this wound? is it painful? is it getting better or worse?" Then, you forget the smell, you forget the repulsion, and you are on to the solution.

The more you do it, after a while, believe it or not, the repulsion time disappears.

After a while, you actually will ask the nurse if you can see the wound when she is changing the dressing, creepy sounding but true. You find your self saying, Oh, that looks better than yesterday. Yeah!

msdobson · May 7, 2007

I wouldn't throw in the towel to this person just yet, because many people are disillusioned about nursing, yet, rebound to become excellent nurses. I can agree, as a nurse myself, that becoming an LPN or RN is a long, hard and isolated road, filled with fear and frustration. While the OPs post does leave one to ponder if she/he can, in fact survive nursnig school or generate compassion, I have seen even worse become the best once reality has set in. Or, get thrown out of the nursing program in fundamentals.
My first semester in nursing school was uneventful until the told me that I had to drop NG tubes. I can deal with the piss, poop and vomit, but something about placing something into someone's throat made me lose my cool. But, I did it. Luckily, I have not had to do it since I became a nurse, but if it does, I will take a deep breath, make sure that a more seasoned nurse is around and do what I have to do.

I agree that there were (are) many cases in which students "rebound"; we all have procedures whe'd rather not deal with...however, the tone of this girl's posting is screaming "let me OUT!"

There are a great many people out there who would make great nurses (if not for...) But nursing is NOT for everyone, as evident by the atrition rate of graduates.

Cheers,

Michael

AnnieOaklyRN, BSN, RN, EMT-P · May 7, 2007

SWTOOTH- That is all part of nursing. You may not have to do it all the time, but will have to do it. I remember the first time I "dug out" someone, I walked up to the DON and asked her what the heck did I go into nursing for. YUCK, YUCK, AND MORE YUCK. But then as chadash stated what if the tables were turned and you were the one that needed assistance, you would want someone to help you. The smell and ickiness doesn't last forever. Also I don't think any nurses enjoy most of the icky jobs and if they say they do, they're fibbing (sp), but it is part of the job. As for chadash, I wish I worked with more CNA's that have your mentality. You sound like an excellent aid, who is in this strange career we call nursing for all the right reasons.

Um KSTEC I think you are talking about the wrong person. I am NOT THE OP and actually said that all of this stuff IS part of nursing. Please do me a favor and edit your post taking my name off of it. Thanks

Sweetooth

RNfaster · May 7, 2007

You get to the point where you smell urine like a fine wine: fruity with a hint of pecan, heady aroma....

Hmmm. I will have to work on that. Maybe I should swirl it in the flask?

On the other hand, I do find the smell of bile quite intriguing. It smells rather earthy. Upon first smelling wet gangrene, I was rather disgusted. But later, I began to focus on the odor...rotten apples. Interesting.

I have heard that cancer has a smell to it. I don't know it yet. I have also heard that advanced liver disease produces fetid breath. I am intrigued that diseases may be recognized by their odors. --This makes being around the foulness somehow less foul... It becomes interesting, and I am (for now) absorbed in noting it...and that makes it very easy to deal with.