Did you ever have any doubts?

That being a nurse was what you wanted to do?

Were you ever intimidated by some of the "yuck" factors of the nursing profession - blood, pus, phlegm, human waste.... ?

I'm a lurker, who's been considering nursing school for quite a while (along with a few other allied health fields) - but am a little intimidated by some of the above mentioned stuff...

Sorry have to cut this short, at work and want to go ahead and get it posted... will add more later.

(sorry if this is the wrong forum, I figured this general one gets more traffic than the "career" one)

Thanks! :)

[KC CHICK]

...but I was never intimidated by the 'yuck' stuff. That really doesn't bother me. I was intimidated, however, by my first clinical instructor.

I believe she came from hell to do the devils' work, but, that's another story.

After enduring her, I started enjoying myself in school, even though it took the next three semesters to get over the irritable bowel syndrome before each clinical. Uggggh!

I graduated two years ago and am still enjoying my new career.

No regrets.

Anne:D

[zambezi, BSN, RN]

KC Chick...your getting close to your transfer....are you excited???

Back to the real question... I never questioned wanting to be a nurse...however i was intimidated by the yuk factor...fortunately, there are lots of areas of nursing you can go into...just depends on what kind of yuk you can tolerate...truthfully, you kind of get used to it (only a little though) i just keep in mind that this is a real person...if it were me or my mother, i would not want to be unwashed, have feces stuck to my bottom, etc... we help that patient do what they can't do on their own...sputum is still my big thing, but it is my job to help my patients cough that stuff up, so you do it and cringe when they can't see you...its part of the job, in some areas more than others, i would try to shadow someone in a field you may want to work in to see exactly what goes on and see how you feel about it...good luck...

[Tweety, BSN, RN]

The entire time I was in nursing school I was full of doubt and insecurity. I had been a restaurant worker and an office worker up until that time. Then for the first year, I was full of doubt and insecurity, then moved to a new hospital and a new unit and was full of doubt and insecurity.

I hung in there, because deep down inside I had no doubts this was what I wanted to to.

I also found out that the doubts and insecurities are normal in busy, stressful nursing environments.

As far as the yuk goes. I nearly gagged on my first "big blowout" of loose stool. After that it got easier, now I can clean up poop, suction a trach and go eat dinner.

[ceecel.dee, MSN, RN]

Originally posted by KC CHICK

[bI believe she came from hell to do the devils' work, but, that's another story.

Oh my, can I relate! The way you put it made me laugh!:chuckle :roll :chuckle

[zambezi, BSN, RN]

lol....3rd shift guy...i know exactly what you mean...the things we sometimes talk about over dinner most people would balk at...

[llg, PhD, RN]

I have always had doubts and probably always will. I think that's just part of my nature. I often wonder how my life would be different if I had made different choices.

However, I still believe that nursing is an honorable profession and one worthy of my time and talents. So, I guess you could say that while I do have some doubts ... I have no real regrets.

llg (who's been a nurse for about 25 years)

[spineCNOR]

Doubts, why yes--I've had a million of them!

But seriously, as far as the yuck factor goes, I believe that every nurse has something that grosses them out. For some it's sputum, for some it's...well, you get the picture. It's something we all find a way to deal with it. As for me, I will never work an adult ICU because I have a hard time dealing with sputum, but there are lot's of other things I can do in nursing. Don't let the yuck factor keep you from going into nursing if that is something you want to do!

[live4today, RN]

No doubts...no regrets...well...wish I had gone on for my PhD and became a Community Health Educator or Nursing Professor in Psych. Divorce happened right after nursing school, I went crazy...literally speaking...raised three kids while working to keep us out of poverty, etc....so, that's my only regret.

[P_RN, ADN, RN]

I wanted to be just like Cherry Ames in the books. I never considered any yukky because I didn't know ANYTHING back then.

Yuk stuff has never bothered me all these years, but since I've been "retired" I find I get the creepies when I see blood on my hubby or pets.

[Little One2]

I always wanted to be a nurse. When I was young, I was in and out of the hospital. So, being around nurses and doctors influenced me to become a nurse. I had my good and bad times going through college and starting my career. But the hard work is worth it. Seeing the satisfaction and the appreciation on my patients faces makes it worth it.

[AAHZ]

Being a nurse was the last thing that i thought would ever happen to me. i just kind of progressed from medic to nurse. I had a lot of doubts in the begining, like the first time that i attempted to write a comprehensive careplan (that one still eludes me). I don't regret doing it at all.

besides, you can't beat the dinner table conversations concerning unidentifiable bodily fluids and added/missing body parts. (Especially when the conversations occur in a real fancy restaurant)