I posted this question on a different thread but I probably should have put it on here. I REALLY want to be a nurse, but I have a history of almost hurling and almost passing out when it comes to certain things. I was watching a procedure being done on my sister once. She was having Norplants removed, and yep, I nearly hit the ground and didn't even know it. Had to remove myself from the room and sit with my head between my legs for about 10 minutes. Has anyone else had this problem? Wanting to be a nurse but worried you're to squimish?? Please let me know how to overcome it, or how you overcame it, if so! I'm highly stressed about it.
Specializes in Our course is comprehensive, so all over.
I have never experienced that before. A friend once said to "breathe thru your mouth". Dunno if that works. I'm in my last semester of a three year course...haven't been grossed out yet and i have seen some stuff too. Arterial leg ulcers, hip replacements, extracting bone marrow, im injections...you name ive seen it somewhere!
along these same lines, when i was living in france and going to school there, a guy passed out during a final exam. in france, you can know 99.9% of all material and still fail the course since one, your entire semester grade is based off of one oral final exam and two, the oral final isn't over a broad span of topics. it can be very specific. that is why i say you can know 99.9% of the course material and still fail.
that said, the guy going in before me was really nervous. about 10 minutes after he went in to take it i saw the paramedics rushing in. i finally found out what was going on - he had fainted!
I posted this question on a different thread but I probably should have put it on here. I REALLY want to be a nurse, but I have a history of almost hurling and almost passing out when it comes to certain things. I was watching a procedure being done on my sister once. She was having Norplants removed, and yep, I nearly hit the ground and didn't even know it. Had to remove myself from the room and sit with my head between my legs for about 10 minutes. Has anyone else had this problem? Wanting to be a nurse but worried you're to squimish?? Please let me know how to overcome it, or how you overcame it, if so! I'm highly stressed about it.
Thanks!
All I know is a girl I went to school with passed out once while doing I think a blood draw. She graduated and is now an RN. There are jobs where you don't necessarily have to work around blood.
This is soo helpful hearing from everyone! I know I'm a squemish person and know it's something I have to desensitize myself to. It'd funny hearing about how people are squemish about mouths/ teeth because I was watching this real life medical drama show and they showed this doctor put this young girls teeth back in her mouth becasue they had fallen out due to some sort of trauma and I just about fainted just watching it! But then they were showing a heart transplant and it was absolutley nothing compared to watching the teeth! I know its just a show but its surprised me that the seemingly ungross thing can be so gross. I'm just a pre-nursing student but appreciate all this advice, it really gives hope. Also I read some where that if you cough it keeps you from gagging, because you can't cough and gag at the same time. anyone ever done that?
Looking at an ostomy would make me light headed. Now I just look at it when I need to and hurry up and get the care done. Sometimes emesis will make me a little green especially if it smells real bad. Other than that nothing else bothers me. I was in the OR yesterday and that was ok. Saw babies being born natural and by c-section. Suctioning and oral care does not bother me either.
I can handle just about everything disgusting with the exception of trach care. I made the mistake this past rotation of stepping in to observe a nurse performing trach care on a quad and I really almost had to run out of the room and vomit!! I got light headed so I started looking around the room at trying to think about other things. Needless to say now when I get an upset tummy all I have to do is visualize that gunk and I gag.
It's funny - I've changed elderly diapers, been to the cadaver lab, watched an autopsy and never got sick. But - I had to clean underneath an elderly ladies nails and I gagged the whole time, also during a bed bath an elderly man had sperm on his genital area and I wretched uncontrollably.
I'm an aide on med-surg so I see a lot of grossness including stage 4 decubs, all sorts of oral funk, abcess drains, cdiff poop, etc. and nothing has bothered me yet. Except a couple weeks ago I watched a knee surgery on a trauma show on TV and had to turn it off, it grossed me out so much. So I'll be avoiding ortho. I watched my own c-section with my twins, that was cool! And I've seen other surgeries, no big deal. Just don't start crunching bones and joints in front of me!
Nothing really gets to me. Except episiotomies. The sound of that snip just skeeves me. I turned away yesterday just long enough for the dr to do one (I was holding the patient's leg while she pushed) and the sound just made my skin crawl. LOL
If you feel like a procedure or smell is going to make you sick, put a dab of peppermint oil under your nose, but DON"T rub your eyes if you used your fingers!!! I use a q-tip. It really helps me- AND it clears your sinuses.
I've passed out doing surgery on a rabbit (seriously) when I was involved with medical research at a major Boston hospital. Everyone (docs included) was quite kind about it. I think it happens to most everyone at some point. I got much better after that.
I needed to make sure I ate a HUGE breakfast before major procedures(something more than diet Mountain Dew and Pop Tarts). I'll have to remember that when I start school again in Sept.
I watched my own c-section with my twins, that was cool! And I've seen other surgeries, no big deal. Just don't start crunching bones and joints in front of me!
honey angel baby
5 Posts
I have never experienced that before. A friend once said to "breathe thru your mouth". Dunno if that works. I'm in my last semester of a three year course...haven't been grossed out yet and i have seen some stuff too. Arterial leg ulcers, hip replacements, extracting bone marrow, im injections...you name ive seen it somewhere!