[jasonhbaum]

Hello. I just joined this site and I am hoping I can get some valuable information. I am a telecommunications engineer and I am considering a career change into nursing. I am wondering if you really 'get used to' some of the things you see. I am not sure if I will get queesy or sick if I see an open wound or something like that. I have been doing a few days of job shadowing where I spend the day with nurses in different hospitals and on all kinds of floors. So far I havent seen anything too bad. Has anyone ever gotten ill when they see wounds, blood etc then eventually you get over it?

Thanks - Jason

[Altra]

Hello jason, I became a nurse after spending 10 years in a career that was 180 degrees away from health care ...

Kudos to you for seeking out job shadowing experiences -- there's no better way to get a feel for what a nurse's day is really like.

Yes, I think your tolerance for the "yucky" stuff goes way up ... and you learn the significance of what to look for when looking at that oozing wound, etc. But it never completely goes away -- it's OK to occasionally have to walk away (when it's safe for the patient for you to do so), go in the utility room, and clear your throat a few times and tell yourself, "now that was just GROSS."

We're all human, and your senses don't completely turn off just because you become a nurse. There are occasional threads here at allnurses.com when we (gleefully?) relate the worst stuff we've encountered ... it can be kinda like sensory overload to read, but it's reassuring to know that you're not the only one who's ever been "grossed out."

Best of luck to you!