Area of hospital with minimal vomit...

kalevra, BSN, RN · Jan 16, 2012

Management/Administration

KelRN215, BSN, RN · Jan 16, 2012

SCSTxRN- I think I would love to do psych, but I heard it's so dangerous from another post on here...
I forgot I volunteered in an ER for months and it didn't bother me too much. But, I didn't have to touch any puke. Lol! How many of you have been thrown up ON? (as in all over the front of you scrubs)

I have been thrown up on... projectile... from the other side of the room. In my hair, on my shoes, on my scrubs. You clean it off and go on with your day.

I don't think psych is dangerous. Most psych patients are not violent. There are MANY areas of psych. If you work with depressed individuals or women with eating disorders, I'd say you'd have less of a chance of getting attacked than I do. I get hit, punched, bit, spit at and threatened working in acute care.

SCSTxRN · Jan 16, 2012

I am as safe doing acute inpatient psych as I am in the ER. In a psych hospital, I know who and what I am dealing with. In the ER, nurses tend to get taken by suprise. It's been said that every nurse is a psych nurse - at some point in this career, you will be dealing with patients (or family members) who have symptoms of mental illness.

I love psych. I enjoy med/surg nursing, too - and I don't feel particularly unsafe at either site, although I maintain awareness of the exits and the other staff.

PeepnBiscuitsRN · Jan 17, 2012

I also have an aversion bordering on phobia. I don't exactly know how I did it a month back when my baby (10 months at the time) was puking and yes I was doing the hand cup under the chin. Maybe because she was so jolly still (this girl is the happiest baby ever I tell you.) She was SMILING as she was puking! For me it's not the sight or smell of, it's the sound, that retching gagging sound. I just...I've considered immersing myself. I "You Tube'd" "Puke" and you'd be surprised at how much comes up! Mostly people who are super duper trashed. It's pretty pathetic. I work on tele, and I start getting shaky when a patient says they feel like puking, I am at the bedside in a NY minute with that Zofran!

Story: When I was 11 I had strep, it was the last case I had before they took my tonsils out. The doc who saw me in urgent care was this super young, gal, probably still a resident. Well, I had been feeling nauseated all day, as was typical for me when I had strep- usually I ended up ralphing at some point or another. Well, she went ahead and did the throat culture and that's all it took. I started retching and clapped my hand over my mouth- and the doc, well, she grabbed one of those little bean shaped basins passed it off to me like a marathon runner passing a baton and was out of there like a bat out of you know where!

I'm more gaggy at the sight and smell of poop. But I don't have a problem with the sound of someone having a blow out... I just don't like emptying the commode...I'm scared the poo will splatter and get on me, and I'll have germs on me...and it will make me sick and I'll puke. :-)

linzjane88 · Jan 17, 2012

DON'T let it stop you from anything. You can get over it! I too had/have emetephobia. I am also a nursing student :up: . I dealt with it from the time I was a small child (BAD vomit experience). When I was on the bus and someone puked I literally dumped my entire schoolbag onto the seat next to me and put my empty backpack over my head for the rest of the busride. Sometimes, even in my late teens, I would even start crying if I couldn't "get away". It sounds stupid to someone who doesn't have a phobia.

I struggled a long time with trying to figure out what to do. I have many medics and nurses in my family so the interest was there from a young age but was always combined with the crippling fear of vomit. I finally got fed up with letting a fear dicate my life and just went for it.

You don't realize how strong you are until your put into a situation where you need to be. I can also handle my childs vomit (she's 3). It's the same idea--its your baby and you know they need you so you don't even think "OMG! Puke!!". When your at work/clinicals you know you need to be the one to take care of it and you just man up and do it. I wouldn't say I love puke but the desire to get the H away has diminished a bit. Plus, the more you do it the more empowered you are to overcome something that was so debilitating.

Just my thoughts.

DoGoodThenGo · Jan 17, 2012

Hi. I'm currently on the waitlist for nursing school and I've wanted to be a nurse my whole life...but I have emetophobia and am quite afraid of vomit! I'm sure I could suck it up and deal with it, but I'm just wondering if there are any areas in the hospital that have minimal vomit exposure?

The morgue.

Creamsoda, ASN, RN · Jan 17, 2012

Are you sure its a true "phobia" or merely an ew ew ew other peoples vomit, ewww. Yeah its gross but not the end of the world. I feel more bad for the person because they feel so awfull that they barf. Its a terrible feeling. So if its really not a real phobia suck it up you will get used to it. Places like PACU and surgery have more but not the end of the world.

Old.Timer · Jan 17, 2012

On the HVRI, or Hospital Vomit Risk Index, a job as cafeteria worker ranks near the bottom.
Then again, some new "watch the budget" dishes make even that job a risk.

LOL That's a classic. It's a keeper! :)

caregiver1977 · Jan 17, 2012

Absolutey no requirement to work Labor and Delivery before NICU. At least not where I work.

I don't know about every patient's case, but I know that I did some vomitting while laboring with my children, especially during the transition phase. The thing that may be bad for the OP is that in a lot of hospitals (including the one in my city) is that the patients have an IV and a fetal monitor strapped around them. That means that the patient is going to try to vomit in that tiny, bean-shaped emesis pan that the hospitals provides. No one I know of vomits that little during labor. I would suggest L & D if it is in a hospital that allows women to move around during labor (that would only influence where the vomitting would occur, not stop it from happening all together), but that is not an option at a lot of hospitals. At a hospital where it is encouraged, there is more chance that the vomit would end up in the toilet or a trash can where there would be a minimal amount of clean up. But if the OP is at a hospital like mine, most likely the vomit is going to occur in the bed or even the floor (as would all other bodily functions, much to the patient's chargrin).

caregiver1977 · Jan 17, 2012

There are also social workers that deal with patients. I have a friend that is a social worker at our local state health department. She helps "at risk" pregnant patients, but doesn't do anything medical with them. I know that she also used to work at our local hospital (not sure what she did there, exactly). I don't think she has had to deal with vomit at all, and she has been doing this 20+ years. I can ask to make sure...

alxndria.mrqtt · Jan 17, 2012

Creamsoda- it's a phobia and it used to be really bad. Thankfully, it has gotten much better but is still there. I know I'll be able to overcome it. :)

caregiver1977- I didn't throw up (or even come close to it) when I had my kids! Maybe the phobia helped? I'm not really interested in social work, I'd prefer the medical stuff!

Meriwhen, ASN, BSN, MSN, RN · Jan 17, 2012

SCSTxRN- I think I would love to do psych, but I heard it's so dangerous from another post on here...
I forgot I volunteered in an ER for months and it didn't bother me too much. But, I didn't have to touch any puke. Lol! How many of you have been thrown up ON? (as in all over the front of you scrubs)

Psych can have its moments, but personally, I think the ER is far more dangerous. Anyone--they don' t even need to be a patient--can walk into a ER with or without a weapon in hand and go off. Hell, half the time it's the families of the patients that seem to lose it the worst. At least in psych we're in a far more controlled environment as well as (usually) trained in crisis management, deescalation, self-defense--if it comes down to needing them--physical holds. In addition, most psych patients are not as violent as they are made out to be.

Unfortunately not every psych environment is like this--see that post you were referring to. State facilities are among the roughest places to work. But I still feel far more comfortable working a psych ICU than I would working in the ER.

At least you're honest about your fear OP...problem is that I don't know which area of nursing would suit you the best since you can come across vomit in all of them. I recommend you seek treatment for your phobia more so than trying to figure out which area is the most vomit-free.

Best of luck to you!