Things that gross you out..

Nursing Students General Students

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Specializes in NICU.

i am starting nursing school in september...and as far as what i will encounter, i'd say not too much makes me squeemish. blood, puke, defecation....doesnt bother me. open wounds, dead bodies, surgery....interests me. the one thing that makes me squeemish and i'm not sure how i'm going to handle once i see it in person is really weird.

the idea of putting a tournaquet on and seeing the veins pop out, and poking and prodding them...that makes me sick to my stomach. when i get blood drawn...i absolutely hate it...not because of the needle or blood....but the tournaquet. i cant even look at it, and the idea of it makes me sick. i dont know why...it seems weird. i guess the only way to overcome it is to force myself to do it when im in school...facing your fears i guess...

what are some things you have to do day to day that gross you out?

I am not squeamish about much. I admit that the thought of poking people with needles worries me. Not because of the "heebies jeebies" but more the fact that I don't want to cause someone unnecessary pain. I think my main nemesis might be vomit. Especially it I witness someone vomiting. I have a very hard time squelching my own natural reflex to vomit myself. I am okay with everything else, but vomit... I know it will happen eventually and I hope I can fake it and deal with what I must deal with and not lose it myself.

The sound of bones: squeaking, cracking, snapping, grinding and crunching... I think I'm going to faint... *swoon*

Specializes in Peds ED, Peds Stem Cell Transplant, Peds.

​objects pertruding from eye balls

stool samples. abnormal stool, greasy, snotty and really strong smells. most stuff I can handle, but some smells it makes one want to puke. Today I had green diarrhea today, i was ok with that, but snotty smelly stool. i am cool with baby poop too. I have to convince myself the stool sample is really important.

Check out some ortho surgery and open heart on youtube. bone and joint surgery can be hard to watch.

The smell of burning skin/hair. Sputum and fresh trachs (and I work on a pulmonary floor)

Specializes in Neuroscience/Brain and Stroke.

The smell of infected urine, no need for a UA or urine culture if I'm around, just need my nose, nastiest smell ever!

Strong smells like when u take someone to the bathroom or you KNOW they've had a bowel movement from standing beside them.

Oh and when I empty catheter bags I try to stand far away because the stink that assaults your nostrils is really ....powerful

I'm more of a blood girl I like taking it and can deal with it pouring out of anywhere

Specializes in NICU.

Ugh, I'm in for a real treat it seems :bugeyes: Vick's Vapo Rub under the nose!!!!!

My microbiology professor taught me to appreaciate the fragrant waste of bacteria. He's sit with a pile of Petri dishes in the lab, examine them, and then take the lid off and sample. He could often tell what was growing based on a whiff.

If a smell gets too overwhelming, I just breath through my mouth. But, as mentioned, the sound of bones cracking, or the sight of an object (like a knife or an iron bar) sticking out of a person is very disturbing.

Specializes in Emergency/Level I Trauma, Critical Care.

I work in the ER and I can't stand anything to do with toe-nails! I can't stand when I go to check pedal pulses and the patient's toe-nails are so long they curl...gag! If I look at the triage board and see that a new patient has a toe-nail injuries/or loss of a toe-nail I will beg for mercy to see if any of the other nurses wants to trade my toe-nail for whatever they've got that i can help them with.

Specializes in ICU, Anesthesia.

don't deal with it everyday but a prolapsed colon is disturbing.

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