A Question to Nurses and Nursing Students.. HELP ME!

[Hannah1991]

Hi AllNurses Community! First off I would like to say that I just joined today so I'm not completly sure I'm posting in the right area.

I am a high school senior. I have pretty much known my whole life that I was made to be a RN. I've just ran into a sticky situation. I get kind of grossed out with blood and veins and wounds. How can I get over this? Now please don't try to tell me "Nursing is just not for you kid". I've tried telling myself that but something in my heart just tells me that Nursing is where I need to go. I'd appreciate any advice you all could give me. Thank you soooo much

Hannah1991

[Miss Chybil RN, BSN, RN]

People were made to get a little grossed out over blood and guts. That way we know, if something is bleeding or something sticking out from a place it's not supposed to, or has a hole in it that's not supposed to be there, there is something wrong. Knowing something is wrong gets our adrenaline going and we may get a little squeamish. Fortunately, if we know we need to fix what's wrong because the being that has something wrong with it needs our help, we tend to get over the grossedoutness fairly quickly. If we take to fixing things that are bleeding, or broken, or have holes in them as a habit or a profession, we will usually become used to these things until one day it seems almost normal to see things that ooze, bleed, and even stink. Learning what makes things bleed and stink usually makes them easier to deal with, as well.

If you really want to be a nurse, be a nurse. If you find you continue to be uncomfortable with bleeding, broken things after having been exposed to it for a bit, don't go into the ED and especially not trauma.

You know what used to really gross me out? Not blood or poop. Mucus. Gawd, I hated mucus. I didn't like my own kids' mucus. Yuck! But, hey. I'm over it. Pretty much...

[gladiola]

Back when I was a little girl I wanted to be a nurse.... but then as I got older I realized that I got grossed out easily and figured that nursing was not for me. And so I went into business. Fast forward 20 years later and here I am, a new graduate from an LVN program and on my way to getting my RN! I think if you think of the "negatives" too much, it will get to you. Don't let it get in your way and become an obstacle. Sounds like you really want to be a nurse so I think you're that much closer to finding a way to overcome your aversion. Good luck!

[skittlebear]

At about 18yrs of age I was a tech working with the physically challanged. When I first started training, I had to change breifs, reposition, feed pts that drooled over their food, vomited etc...you get my drift. I couldn't eat when it was time for my lunch break. I was just too "grossed out" to be honest. I thought, "I'm never going to be able to get over this." I looked at my co-workers eating away at their food and thought, "how in the world can they eat just after they changed a brief?"...of course, after washing their hands.

Guess what...as time went on I became more and more attached to these particular patients and changing their briefs didn't bother me anymore. I could finally eat during my lunch break, lol.

Now, I am working with different patients in LTC as an LPN. Yes, I still have to deal with bodily fluids but it doesn't even phase me anymore. I am used to it.

I am sure that if your heart is set to be a nurse, you should go for it! You will become desensitized as you are around this more and more...and you will be as a nurse. As another poster mentioned, their are many specialties you can work in as an RN. Good luck with whatever you do decide.

[blueyesue]

Mucus and vomit!!! Can one ever really get used to these? LOL

:chair:

[Miss Chybil RN, BSN, RN]

Mucus and vomit!!! Can one ever really get used to these? LOL

:chair:

LOL! Luckily I'm not one of those people who vomit at the sound of someone vomiting. That would be rough!

[309216505]

Don't worry. It's just because you're unfamiliar with that stuff right now. I used to get nauseous and have to leave the room during first aid classes, then I went on to a 17 year (and counting) RN career and 11 years as a paramedic in a busy urban environment. You just need exposure now when you're not responsible for patient care. I'd recommend volunteering in a hospital now if you have the time.

[Iris Santana]

Depending in what area of nursing you will be working you may not have to deal with bodily secretions. You have to clarify is it upsetting to your stomach or does it scare you. If it is a phobia then it is a psychological thing. If it is upsetting to your stomach then you can always wear a mask even if the patient is not on contact.

[Maggie_in_Maine]

Dear Hannah,

I like you, get queasy around blood. While I was in college for my undergrad I shadowed at an ER. We had a patient come in who was bleeding profusely, and when I say profusely I mean "ohmygod how is she still alive". With one look at how badly hurt she was (and how much blood there was), I fainted and hit the floor.

After that shift, I spoke with an ER trauma Dr. who told me the same thing had happened to him. After medical school he was stationed with the Marines in Vietnam. During his first surgery as lead, he passed out as well. Now,decades later, he is a top trauma doc. The point of this is to second what the ladies/gents in this forum have been saying. There is a certain amount of desensitization that comes with experience.

I still have trouble with blood. Keeping this in mind, I've chosen to pursue a psych nursing specialty, where contact with bodily fluids is kept to a minimum.

There are many interesting and rewarding avenues in nursing that also keep the blood factor to a minimum.

Don't give up on your dream and best of luck to you!

[MsLoriRN, BSN, RN]

Yes, you will get used to it. We all do, and we all have stories about our early reactions to "goo" in nursing. There will always be something that is tough to take, but you'll get through it with enough exposure to it.

As for the responses that included things like, "some specialties don't get exposed to blood/guts/whatever, so go into those specialties," I would just have to remind all future nurses that to get to those specialties, you have to go through nursing school. And then you usually have to get experience on the floors of the hospital as an RN. So you'll have to deal with it before you can get out of it!

Be sure you know why you want to be a nurse...be sure you know it's what you want...then you'll find your "how" to deal with the rough spots.

Best of luck!

MsLoriRN:nurse:

[Purple_Scrubs, BSN, RN]

I thought I would have this problem too. I hate "slasher" type films and movies that show gruesome injuries. I still wince at them. Somehow, when it is "real life" and there is a real human being attached to those blood and guts, my focus shifts to the patient and I could not care less about the gross stuff. Basically, it is about putting the patient's needs and comfort above your own "ick" factor, and it just comes automatically for me somehow.

If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it, so you may have the same experience once you get there :)

[Shona0522]

I believe that God does call us to what He wants us to do. If you feel that you are being led by God, then listen to Him and follow. If HE brings you to it, He'll see you through it!

Blood and wounds and needles don't bother me. I'm grossed out by snot, and every time I go to suction someone I gag a little. I love being a nurse, and I don't think my gagging at the sound of phlegm in any capacity impedes my abilities.

Keep praying, and when God opens doors, walk through them. You'll be just fine. :)

[irishrose26]

I used to get sick from watching videos about scolosis and passed out at the sight of blood. If you had told me when I was 16 that I'd be a nurse 10 years later, I would have laughed hysterically.

I sort of just taught myself to look for the "interesting" factor instead of the "ew." I'm still horrid with smells, but I learned that face masks are useful for more than just droplet isolation :)