Published Mar 23, 2008
ProStudent
2 Posts
Hello everone, my name is Ryan and I have been trying to decide between two programs my school offers. One is Nursing and the other is Radiologic Technology. I have the pre-reqs for both done, however my first choice is Nursing as I think I would like to pursue Nurse Practitioner someday.
My problem is I have a problem with feeling faint(cold sweats, clammy etc) with certain things. I dont know how I would feel about catheters and really invasive procedures. I also cant say Id be thrilled about vomit and feces either. I used to work at a nursing home as a activities aide but didnt have to change them obviously.
I think that if I could get over those things that my personality would make me a good male nurse. My other concerns are with me being a MALE. I have heard conflicting things as far as Males in nursing, also about males who attempt to become NP's. What is the outlook for male RN's/NP's?
If anyone could give me some insight/advice about my weak stomach or support to help me in my decisions, I would greatly appreciate it. I just dont want to go into a career where all I do is clean up vomit/feces and be miserable as the people in the first year in nursing forums are.
One more thing do new grads always have to do a year of med/surg?
Thank you in advance to anyone ho can help out!
-Ryan
guest64485
722 Posts
Hello everone, my name is Ryan and I have been trying to decide between two programs my school offers. One is Nursing and the other is Radiologic Technology. I have the pre-reqs for both done, however my first choice is Nursing as I think I would like to pursue Nurse Practitioner someday.My problem is I have a problem with feeling faint(cold sweats, clammy etc) with certain things. I dont know how I would feel about catheters and really invasive procedures. I also cant say Id be thrilled about vomit and feces either. I used to work at a nursing home as a activities aide but didnt have to change them obviously.
One can get over these things. I would recommend gradual desensitization - look at online pictures/videos of procedures being done first until you are comfortable viewing them. (Personally, this helped me a LOT) In nursing school you will practice on dummies, or, in some cases, you can practice on other nursing students. I took a phlebotomy class on my own and it helped greatly, as we got in a lot of practice on each other (was also an option to go to the local hospital to get practice there too). Have you taken anatomy/physiology? If so, did you work with cadavers? How did you do with those?
One more thing do new grads always have to do a year of med/surg?Thank you in advance to anyone ho can help out! -Ryan
No. While it is a good idea as you learn an immense amount about the human body and basic nursing, it is not a requirement.
atomic1976
10 Posts
I had the same problem with the weak stomach/dizziness when I first started nursing school. Watching my classmates give practice injections and observing an RN pack a wound during clinicals nearly made me faint. I was really worried that I wouldn't be able to get over it, but I found that once I was actually DOING the procedures rather than watching them being done, I was fine. I was able to stop focusing on empathetic pain for the patient and concentrate more on my technique. So try not to worry too much.