As a Nurse, what gives you the willies?

[shippoRN]

Hi all, I'm a pre-nursing student, but I just thought this would be sorta fun to talk about. So all the current nurses, nursing students and soon-to-be-nurses, what's the one thing you just can't STAND...

For example....

I currently work with nurses (for about 2+ yrs now), and I know some of them just cannot take vomit, they can handle just about anything, but NOT vomit.

I know of others who can't stand anything to do with eyes, puss coming out of them you know all that gross stuff. I can personally attest to that, ugh I hate anything to do with eyes. It gives me the willies.

I also have nurses, who are bosses at starting lines, drawing bloods and what not, but absolutely freaks at the thought of having their own blood drawn or recieveing shots (which is pretty hysterical, watching them get their blood drawn ) I know of one nurse, who is so afraid of anyone drawing her blood, she starts her own line in her arm and draw her own blood. Trust me I've seen her do it.

The one thing I have learned, while working with my nurses, is that because certain things gross you out, it doesn't mean you are a bad nurse, or can't be a nurse. After all we are only human.

SO, in the spirit of things, what give YOU the willies...

[lyallch]

Chunky sputum! Makes me wanna puke!

Hairy excised skin lesions...that is another. Seems to have a life of its own, looking at it, reminds me of Silence of the lambs movie - human skin on its own, yuck!

[txspadequeenRN, BSN, RN]

ok i can handle a messy trach but what gets me ducking is....:barf01:i have worked several years in hospice and have had a couple patients with cancer of the neck. at least one side of the neck had rotted away ,all the skin was black and the smell of dead skin was just overwhelming... it is hard to put on a happy face and pretend like nothing is wrong while doing dressing changes in these conditions......:barf01::barf01::barf01::barf01::barf01::barf01:

[Cococure]

what's c-diff....i am not a nursing student yet

at least someone was with you on the trip to the morgue...i would freak if i had to go alone

clostridium difficile, or c. difficile (a gram-positive anaerobic bacterium), is now recognized as the major causative agent of colitis (inflammation of the colon) and diarrhea that may occur following antibiotic intake. c. difficile infection represents one of the most common hospital (nosocomial) infections around the world. in the united states alone, it causes approximately three million cases of diarrhea and colitis per year. this bacterium is primarily acquired in hospitals and chronic care facilities following antibiotic therapy covering a wide variety of bacteria (broad-spectrum) and is the most frequent cause of outbreaks of diarrhea in hospitalized patients. one of the main characteristics of c. difficile-associated colitis is severe inflammation in the colonic tissue (mucosa) associated with destruction of cells of the colon (colonocytes).

i use to work on a floor that had lots of c-diff and mrsa. i can tell you for sure there is a lot of bm and it has a horrible smell.. i could tell as soo i got off the elevator. but i have a real hard time dealing with sputum!!

[collegebound]

I don't start NS till next month but I already know mine will be vomit. To just see someone gagging starts me gagging as well. And the smell ... well I won't go on.

[RN BSN 2009]

I should have been warned do not read this thread if you have eaten lolol