considering Nursing: questions

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Hi, first I would like to say that I'm new to allnurses.com, therefore, I'm not too sure if I'm post this in the right category or not...but here goes.

Let me tell you a little bit about myself to start off with. I'm a senior in high school. I've always wanted to work with babies. I'm also facinated with pregnancies. I have changed my mind a million times, but it always comes back to nursing. My only other option is teaching, and I'm pretty sure that occupation is not for me.

What kind of options do I have in the Nursing field???

What kind of nurses work with mothers/babies?

What do they do?

Do all nurses have to work in the ER sometime or another? (I get sick a lot. that would be a huge fall back) Any info you think would be helpful is welcome!

Also, I'm kind of hesitant because I don't know how I would do with IV's/needles/blood and guts:( Do I HAVE to deal with it??

Any advice??

Thank you all so much!

Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.
I'm sorry. I'm not familiar with this website and replying. my last reply was meant for Esme12.... sorry!!

Yes......with gloves on ....but yes you would have to touch it. There is no way to know if you would be a good nurse. None of us "KNEW" or had any experience. I went in to nursing right out of high school....I will tell you there were things that shocked me (we did not have the internet then :lol2:) and things that made me want to run and things that made me run...:lol2:. There were things that made me want to puke and I only fainted once. That was 32 now 33 in June years ago. YOu just have to WANT to try and WANT to see if you like it......I know most young adults your age hate to hear this but .....you are young....if you really hate it....you have plenty of time to change it......if you get your BSN and you have being a nurse.....just continue and get your teaching then and teach health or science.

You will never know unless you try........I always tried to change WHAT if? with Why NOT! ;)

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Also, I would like to say that I think I could deal with the unpeasantness...just a sudden amount of it all of a sudden would take me a minute to get used to the content at that moment...any advice/comments on that??

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take a cna class.

in nursing school there is a lot of poop, guts, and blood. in the nursing world there is a lot of the same.

i am going to be graphic here, because this is something i do on a daily basis...i clean poop, i clean from areas that do not need poop in them. i clean poop from out of lady partsl folds, skin folds, and change the sheets. i do this because it is part of good patient care. i do not want anyone laying in that mess, it is a matter of health and well being. i treat people as i want to be treated.

you will also do care on male clients, you will wash their bottons, place barrier creams on their bottoms, and you do this because you want the person to maintain skin integrity. you do this because the person deserves no less!

i insert iv's, foley catheters, ng tubes, give injections. you must do this in nursing school. i insert catheters in male and female clients, yes, this does involve touching a member, touching a lady parts.

with babies you will have to give shots, you will have to care for mothers who may need catheters or care of their perineal area.

babies are often healthy, but they may need shots, iv's, etc. you will assist with after care of circumcisions, assessments, etc. you are not sitting around rocking babies all day.

honestly, if you do not believe you handle it, there are other health care careers.

nursing is far from cushy, even with babies.

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You HAVE to think on your feet. You cannot take a minute to process everything, you have to act immediately in certain situations. There are times when you have no time to think about being grossed out, you just GO WITH IT.

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take a cna class.

in nursing school there is a lot of poop, guts, and blood. in the nursing world there is a lot of the same.

i am going to be graphic here, because this is something i do on a daily basis...i clean poop, i clean from areas that do not need poop in them. i clean poop from out of lady partsl folds, skin folds, and change the sheets. i do this because it is part of good patient care. i do not want anyone laying in that mess, it is a matter of health and well being. i treat people as i want to be treated.

you will also do care on male clients, you will wash their bottons, place barrier creams on their bottoms, and you do this because you want the person to maintain skin integrity. you do this because the person deserves no less!

i insert iv's, foley catheters, ng tubes, give injections. you must do this in nursing school. i insert catheters in male and female clients, yes, this does involve touching a member, touching a lady parts.

with babies you will have to give shots, you will have to care for mothers who may need catheters or care of their perineal area.

babies are often healthy, but they may need shots, iv's, etc. you will assist with after care of circumcisions, assessments, etc. you are not sitting around rocking babies all day.

honestly, if you do not believe you handle it, there are other health care careers.

nursing is far from cushy, even with babies.

what are the other heath careers?? thank you so much for the info!

ps- what kind of nurse are you...i mean...what are you specialized in??

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You HAVE to think on your feet. You cannot take a minute to process everything, you have to act immediately in certain situations. There are times when you have no time to think about being grossed out, you just GO WITH IT.

can you learn to be like that? or does it have to be natural for you??

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what do you guys know about people who do ultrasounds...what they do...what they have to take...etc???

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Specializes in Mental Health, Medical Research, Periop.
Um, well we do wear polyvinyl gloves and we do wash our hands an awful lot. Yes, you are going to be "touching it" in some way or another. There are the few occasions I have had something fly up on my arm or land on my shoe as well- poop, blood, body tissue, skin flakes, urine. I once had a pair of shoes which ended up in the trash after they became "poo shoes" and I had to buy "new shoes". If this is like a dealbreaker for you then the medical field might not be for you because it just goes with the territory. Maybe you should work as an aide before you commit to nursing school. Then you will learn what your tolerance is for dealing with these issues.

Your post reminded me of a co-worker who was cleaning up C-diff when her cell phone fell out of her pocket into it. She cleaned the phone with alcohol and I was like, "So youre NOT going to get your phone replaced?":eek: LoL!

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All the above advice is correct, you should definitely go the 6 wk CNA route, check your local community college I had friends when I was in high school take it then so you can start at anytime.

I will be 35 in a few weeks and I am in a CNA course now because I want to go into Nursing School so if you decide Nursing is not for you - you are still young and have time to change your mind, I am doing it at 35 so dont feel like you have to have Life figured out before you are out of high school.

If all the blood, guts etc are turning you off and you want to be in the "baby field" my friend is an Ultrasound Tech, it is by no means easier school wise / courses etc but seeing moms to be come in and see their child is a wonderful thing (I know this being a new mom myself) it is something to look into and research.

Good Luck and try not to stress out too much everything will fall into place :)

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If you're interested in ultrasound, you can be a sonography technician. I heard they make pretty good money. Just make sure they're accredited. There's a lot of schools that have the program that aren't accredited and then it's gonna be really tough to get a job. Go on this website to find an accredited program in your state and then look into what prerequisites they require:

http://www.caahep.org

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Hi Ladies!

I am also looking into being a L&D Nurse. What are the requirments after becoming a RN to specialize in Labor and Delivery? What other classes should I take? How much longer does it take to specialize in L&D??

How hard is it to get a job in Labor and Delivery? I have heard many different things, like there is a slim chance to even work in Labor and delivery so you better be ready to work anywhere in the Hospital, and that there are not many job openings for L&D Nurses. Is that true? Or once you specialize it is easier to get the job you wanted?

Also can a CNA work on the Labor and Delivery floor to get the experiance?

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Is the OP very young, still in high school? Is this a homework assignment in disguise?

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