Almost passed out during clinicals!!

[fm1089]

I'm a second year nursing student, and am currently in my med surg rotation at clinicals. The hospital I'm in now is much more exciting and learning oriented than the previous hospital I had been in. That being said, I'm seeing a lot more than I ever have. Yesterday, I was watching a nurse remove a catheter from a patient's jugular vein in the cardiac step-down unit. I was ok at first, but as she was putting pressure on the neck I started to feel dizzy. I tried to think about other things and looked away from the patient, but that didn't help. I began to fall over and almost blacked out. Luckily my friend was standing next to me and got me in a chair before that happened. I had one of those ensure nutrition drinks and a few scoops of cereal pre-clinical, and only had 3 hours of sleep, but I think the actual removal was what made me faint. Afterwards, one of the nurses was smirking at me and said something like "idk, that's like a sailor being afraid of water." This obviously didnt help my confidence at all as I was already second guessing myself. Has anyone else ever experienced something like this?? Is there hope to get over it? I'm just scared it will keep happening..

[ElenaTx]

Ha, before I started nursing school I was an intern in a gynecologic clinic. I observed an endometrial ablation. First I felt okay, but after a couple minutes I got lightheaded and sweaty. I almost passed out and just made it out of the room in time. I had to sit down and I felt so bad. I think it was the sounds the instruments made that got me. Everybody was super nice and made me feel better. Later in my career I started working in a same day surgery clinic and we had procedures like that on a daily basis. It wasn't a problem at all.

Don't feel bad. It can really happen to all of us.

[Esme12, ASN, BSN, RN]

Within the first 5 minutes of being at clinicals today I had to watch the same procedure that made me almost pass out the first time. I MADE IT!! I was so excited. I still got a little hot and sweaty but it was before the nurse even removed the dressing so I think I was just panicking that I would pass out again. I ended up being absolutely fine. My confidence is back!! Thank all of you guys so much for sharing your stories. I kept them all in the back of my mind and used them for encouragement. Couldn't have done it alone :)

We have ALL had a fainting episode somewhere in our career. I was a brand new student and I was watching a cast removal in the ED when the cast came off because the guy was inserting stuff to scratch his leg there was an open sore....and in that sore were maggots!!!!!!!!

As I struggled to maintain consciousness the MD talked about leaving them for they only eat dead tissue........BAM!!!!!!!!! out cold right to the floor. I knocked over an exam table with the saw and other "tools" in full view of a full emergency department.

That was 34 years ago.

Big thing EAT breakfast. Second BREATHE! Don't hold your breath. Spray one shoulder with a little perfume or a citrus fragrance and when you fell woozy smell your shoulder.....it helps it really does!

Good Luck! You'll be fine!!!!

[futurenurse912]

I can't believe that nurse had the nerve to say a comment like that! But then again, like someone wrote before, nurses eat their young. I'm currently a BSN student now but prior to while volunteering at a hospital I had a fainting moment. It scared me! I doubted if I should even continue going to nursing school! I was working in PEDs and assisting one of the nurses. She was taking blood from one of the kids and couldn't find a good vein. She tried the patient's arms, legs, etc. Watching her and the patient's face got to me. Within minutes I was pale as a ghost! When she exited the room she told me how normal it was to feel that way!! We're only human!!

[scrubsandasmile]

OP, I pride myself on my "poker face" and my ability to get things done even with the grossest of patient body fluids, procedures etc., but I have still almost lost it on more than one occasion- a few times in school and one just a few weeks ago.

I had a patient who came in after a home birth and had a 4th degree lac from essentially bladder to orifice. It was gnarly looking and she came into the ED to get it repaired. Well I come in to "help" the nurse midwife who was stitching her up, and what happens? During the numbing of the wound- something I've seen tons with other wounds- this girl is writhing in pain r/t the numbing plus her huge perineal lac and I start to feel my face get pale, start to sweat, vision starts to go dimmer...

I excused myself and sat down in the nurses station with a coke for a few minutes. It happens TO EVERYONE! Do not be ashamed!

[BlueEyedGuy]

I love these stories!

Our know-it-all, 'I know everything about OB, la-la-la, I am awesome' student reportedly passed our scrubbed into a c-section. All of our OB clinical instructors currently work on that unit too. I'm sure they all had a good laugh about that one.

[k-flo]

I almost passed out when I watched someone getting an IV during the end of my first semester, AN IV FOR GOD'S SAKE! idk what it was about the situation that made me feel that way, but after that I was fine. I love doing IVs now and I look for every opportunity to do them, and that lightheaded feeling I got that day never came back again (unless someone is trying to start an IV on ME, then for sure I'll pass out lol).

[kelsey.g]

OMG, me too! I nearly passed out in NS when I was assisting with ECT!!! I had to go sit in a chair and they gave me some crackers and sprite. hahahahah so embarrassing.