Down to the nitty gritty...

[mrspolly]

Hello Nurses!

I am strongly considering going back to school for Nursing. As I tell my friends and family my idea, I get the usual comments about how gross it is. I am aware that there is a fair amount of time dealing with bodily fluids and such, but can you give me a better idea of it. Do you constantly have to clean up vomit, urine, feces, blood, etc? Do you have to change and wipe the behinds of adults a lot? I am primarily interested in Pediatrics and Women's Health, so I realize that that area may have a different set of "gross" things to handle. Can you shed some light on this subject for me?

Thank you!

[amoLucia]

If you're so concerned with how much poop/pee/puke/trachs etc is involved before you make your decision, then perhaps you've already made your decision. Nursing involves many aspects/fields and often along the path, you change your mind about what kind of nursing is right for you. Getting to the point of deciding what kind of nursing is right for you WILL involve poop/pee/puke/trachs etc, however. Including peds and "Women's Health".

I think you forgot to tell OP about dealing with that 'other' group that receives questions - providing care for those dead or dying.

ATTN: I'm being facietious here!!!

[Elladora]

Depends on what specialty you work. Some are really "dirty" and some not as much. I work psych and deal with a lot, and I mean a lot, of vomit but little feces/urine. Sadly, if I do deal with those, it's usually because someone is trying to throw it at me/co-workers/other clients, not because they have been incontinent.

Vomit-Sorb is your friend!

[Elladora]

If you're so concerned with how much poop/pee/puke/trachs etc is involved before you make your decision, then perhaps you've already made your decision.

I didn't take it that way at all. I think she's just trying to get an idea/more information. There is NOTHING wrong with asking questions when you are making a life choice, especially a fairly big one.

[mrspolly]

I didn't take it that way at all. I think she's just trying to get an idea/more information. There is NOTHING wrong with asking questions when you are making a life choice, especially a fairly big one.

Thank you Elladora! I am the type of person to question everything before making a decision! I hear wayyyy to many nurses say "they wish they had known what nursing was really like before choosing this profession!" I don't want to regret this decision. This would be a second career for me, and going back to school for another Bachelor's degree is not something I take lightly!

[AgentBeast, BSN, RN]

I've been elbows deep in poo without trouble, yet the mere smell of fish makes me sick. Go figure.

[MoopleRN]

I didn't take it that way at all. I think she's just trying to get an idea/more information. There is NOTHING wrong with asking questions when you are making a life choice, especially a fairly big one.

Of course there's nothing wrong with asking questions when you are making a (fairly big) life choice. I never said there was. I simply got the (wrong?) impression that the OP was more concerned about how much she'd have to deal with that aspect of nursing vs the nursing field in general.

Only the OP can decide if it's the right choice for her and asking around before deciding is smart. I just don't think she should focus on the "bodily fluids and such" to help her decide. Maybe she's not. That's what her OP is about though, IMO.

[Elladora]

I can't answer for her (and she pretty much already answered for herself) but I highly doubt that is the only factor. Again, she seems to just be gathering information. Again, I'm guessing that she's already covered the big stuff and is down to, as the title suggests, the nitty gritty. :)

[teensmom]

I wish I'd known what nursing was really like before I became a nurse. However, I'm referring to the responsibilty of patient's lives depending on you. Somehow I got thru school without realizing this-was I wearing blinders? Cleaning up a person is nothing compared to the responsibility nurses carry. I work in labor and delivery where all bodily functions can happen at once, in fact, one of our patients vomitted out her baby, we almost missed it because we were trying to help her up top not down below!

[rubato, ASN, RN]

Before becoming a nursing student, I had no idea how much poop and pee determine EVERY SINGLE thing in nursing. It's part of the body's process and helps the nurse to know whether things are working or not. So, yes, I'll have to clean it up as well as measure it.