Community Clinical Help!!!!

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I started my first day of community clinical rotation working with a local office of the county government that helps low income elderly people. The client I was assigned to I don't know if I can take it. Me and another student have to go on home visits to each of our clients so she does with me to see mine and then I go with her. Anyways so they told me the back story of this client which consisted of at one point a condemned living space which got demolished a new little house was built for them because the previous was infested with rats, bugs you name it. Anyways so we went on the home visit to my client and I just about died the house was already covered in dirt and grime, pet dander, smoked cigarettes everywhere and just general filth. I am a very clean person by nature and I don't know how to deal this because I am going to have stay with this client in the home for at least 1 hour. I was dying inside, I couldn't bring myself to touch anything, I did not want to sit for fear of getting infested with something like fleas etc. and I do not know how I am going to deal with this mentally myself. The smell of the home and the client is like stale cigarettes and rotten something. Smells don't usually bother me at all but this gets me. I am like in fear to return there next week. Does anyone have any advice on how I could deal with this? It may seem small on the grand scheme of things but one thing I can not deal with is filth, out of all the things I have had to do in school so far I can not take this. I can handle blood, cleaning up urine, fecal matter all of that but I can not handle filth when I have to sit and be around it. I am severely stressed out about this experience. Any advice?

Specializes in Emergency Dept. Trauma. Pediatrics.

That is tuff, how many times do you have to go there? I mean in one sense I would say call the health dept. and social workers, but on the down side to that, I would hate to see this lady become homeless (can you tell I watch hoarders, it always makes me house seem immaculate)

Did you talk to your clinical instructor about this?

You might get better feedback in the nursing section or if their is a forum for home health nurses, nurses that have dealt with this sort of thing before.

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