Want become a nurse, but have a fear

The closest I've been to a dead body was the cat we had to dissect in Anatomy and I made my lab partners touch it. I know in medical school they study pathology with real dead human cadavers, but I've never heard about this happening in nursing school. I mean, you also might have a patient die in clinical in which case you'd have to perform aftercare and stuff, but that's the most I can think of.

Hope this helps and good luck to you!

I'm not a nurse, but we had to semi-dissect a cadaver in our Anatomy class. I personally thought it was fascinating. Also, just in my volunteering through the local hospital there's been more than several times that I've come across a dead body. I think in nursing (especially if you're in a critical care environment) that it's just going to be part of the job. OTOH, I don't think you'll be dealing with cadavers, probably people just "recently dead". Just my !

Hi. I'm not a nurse yet, but hope to get into my program soon. I have my last step, the interview, coming up next Tuesday!

I've been working in health care in a variety of capacities over the last few years, one of which is as an Enucleator for an Eye Bank. In layman's terms, in a sterile surgical procedure I procure a donor's eyes (the entire globe) to be used for cornea transplants, etc.

I kind of felt like you do. When I went to the training (we used a plastic head for the training, not a real person), I was VERY concerned that I might not be able to handle the dead body issue. I asked the trainer if people ever completed the training, then once they got to the scene for the first time, were unable to complete the task. She nodded sagely and said that did sometimes happen.

However, she also asked me the following: Do you think you could have drawn blood or performed procedures on this patient 5 minutes before she died? One minute before she died? One minute after she died? Five minutes after she died? An hour after she died? You get the picture, it's all on a continuium.

I've never had a speck of trouble, not from my very first case, and I've always kept the trainer's perspective fresh in my mind. I've been called to procure eyes on people that have been dead for as long as 10 hours, already at the funeral home, and it never once has been uncomfortable or weird. I'm just happy to be doing something the deceased would have wanted (and helping the family to make some sense of the death.)

Good luck!

Well we dissected a cadaver in Anatomy, as well as attended an autopsy. Now the cadaver had been dead for at least a year and was preserved. The autopsy was on a young man who had died the night before, big difference. Now in nursing school, I have not had to work with any dead people so far. However, one of my classmates did have to help clean and bag a woman who had died earlier that day, but I think that was more an exception and being a student nurse she could have declined. I would really consider just how badly this affects you. In all seriousness, as a nurse you will see lots of things that most people don't see. I think that I was told that only 3% of all people will see a dead person and nurses are going to be part of that 3%. We also will see really nasty wounds, throw-up, bodily secretions, poop, pee, blood, and death. Even in L & D you can have mom's die and babies stillborn, or die as well. I think that any death, would affect a nurse, but they need to be able to go on and do their jobs.

When I took Anatomy,we had a couple of cadavers that we worked on and examined on a weekly basis and this was during the summer session. It's a bit odd and eerie no matter how many times you go into the cold room but it's part of the Nursing program process. I hated the experience but at the same time was amazed at how much you do learn. My sister who is a Peds RN has gone through several patients that have past away. (Not her doing by the way) but she says it's part of the job. You deal with the sick and our job is to make them better but sometimes they can't be saved. It's always a hard experience but you get though it. Just my . I also think, don't let that fear get in the way of your dreams. If you have the heart for it keep at it.

you have to overcome that!
concentrate a little, and set priorities, you wont be alone with the cadaver, and try to get some friendly support by your pals at school

My daughter died and it isn't as bad as you think it will be. If you can get to the point of realising that death is as part of life as birth is, it makes it a little easier. My sister had her baby still born last year, and I was there and got to hold him. So even in L&D you may have to deal with it on some level.

The anticipation of what you *think* something will be like, is usually worse than the reality of what happens. At least in my experience.