I begin an RN program in August. I have worked hard in school and can't wait to start but... the one thing that does have me worried is what if I'm changing a diaper or something and the smell makes me gag??
Some of you may be cracking up right now! But I'm really nervous about that.
I'm not a complete wimp, I do have a son and changing his diapers never bothered me, but I would just feel so badly if a patient were to see me looking green!
Specializes in psych, addictions, hospice, education.
ewww....shoots out your nose?
When I was in nursing school I could handle most fluids except mucus. One day I was suctioning a trach and got the gags. In between suctions, I turned and vomited into the waste basket. Afterwards I apologised, cleaned up my mess, and sat with the patient a few minutes. Later in the day we laughed about it.
I'd recommend carrying menthol coughdrops or those little gelatin breath fresheners in your pocket. Then when you know you're going into an olfactory situation, you pop a coughdrop or a few of the little gelatin sheets into your mouth and you're so wow'ed by the menthol you don't notice the smells of other things so much.
I've just gotta say that reading this thread has been MORE than enlightening. It honestly never occured to me some of the stuff that nurses do - ie: clip toenails, suction stuff, deal with *shudder* vomit and poop... I figured that I could deal with the blood, but this other stuff just makes my scalp tingle!
Maybe I'll go into Radiology after all... :chuckle
I once sat with a patient who was getting leech therapy for a reattached digit. He needed a sitter while he slept to keep him from moving his hand, brushing his face, etc., and to collect the engorged leeches when they fell off. Possibly the grossest thing I've ever seen, and that's including the GI bleed I had to clean up several times last night.
One thing I've noticed is that blood never used to gross me out, but now it's about the most repulsive body fluid. I try very hard to avoid getting any fluids on me, but if a glove tears while I'm cleaning poop, I just wash my hands. No biggie. Contact with any blood is a bit anxious, though. I think that's reasonably logical, as far as risk of infection, but I'm surprised how instinctive it has become. It seems my subconcious has developed a sense of infection control.
I did have to go put a damp cloth on my forehead after trach suctioning, the other night, but the next several times afterward weren't so bad.
Could someone help me with something? I am a pre-nursing major going into my second year. I know as a nurse you do have to do some gosh stuff like cleaning poop, cleaning vomit, etc.... but is that like an everyday thing? or what? Also is the ICU a bad place to work? And I want to be a CRNA, I think. Should I stick with the nursing thing? or just go to med-school and become an anesthesiologist?
Specializes in Med-Surg, , Home health, Education.
First let me state...I can handle any body secretions except anything that comes from the mouth. Now on to my story.....
When I was in nursing school, I worked at a CBRF. One of our residents was suffering from vomiting. He would vomit in the wastebasket. Usually no prob. Combination of holding your breath and breathing through my mouth got me through it and most of the time I was able to glove up ahead of time. However, when some of his vomit landed on my ungloved hand, I started gagging. I couldn't help it. I had to stay w/ him because he was standing and I was afraid he would fall (he was 90 yrs old). Well, we ended up taking turns vomiting into the wastebasket. Between his heaves, he just laughed at me. It was awfully embarrassing at the time but his laughter got us both through it. :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:
So the moral of the story...if it happens, it happens. You are human before you are a nurse.
I begin an RN program in August. I have worked hard in school and can't wait to start but... the one thing that does have me worried is what if I'm changing a diaper or something and the smell makes me gag??
Some of you may be cracking up right now! But I'm really nervous about that.
I'm not a complete wimp, I do have a son and changing his diapers never bothered me, but I would just feel so badly if a patient were to see me looking green!
Any advise or words of wisdom out there?
Thanks in advance!
Polar Ice gum always helped to block out the "Nastys" for me. My brother who is a paramedic would smear vicks under his nose.
Could someone help me with something? I am a pre-nursing major going into my second year. I know as a nurse you do have to do some gosh stuff like cleaning poop, cleaning vomit, etc.... but is that like an everyday thing? or what? Also is the ICU a bad place to work? And I want to be a CRNA, I think. Should I stick with the nursing thing? or just go to med-school and become an anesthesiologist?
Well, in the ICU you generally have total patient care and have no nursing assistants. So poop is an everyday thing. We do have rectal tubes though!
I don't have a particularly strong gag reflex, and doing heme/onc and bone marrow transplant, we see tons of poop and vomit. The worst ones are always the initial stool sample that they have to give on admission.
The other night I found myself thinking wistfully of my dinner in the freezer while I was obtaining a "sample". So I think you get used to it to a point.
I've been in nursing for about 5 years now (including school) and I still have a somewhat weak stomach. Usually the desire to be kind and professional outweights the desire to run away heaving. :):
I've been in nursing for about 5 years now (including school) and I still have a somewhat weak stomach. Usually the desire to be kind and professional outweights the desire to run away heaving. :):
I hope so, because I fear that I'm going to be in the upchuck club. I got a cat about six months ago and in preparation for all the icky things I'm going to be exposed to in nursing school (I'm in my first semester now) I volunteered to clean the cat box everyday. Sadly, even though I love my cat, I gag and have come very close to throwing up while changing the litter. I don't think my plan of getting use to poop is working. I haven't had to change any briefs yet, or do anything gross in clinical, but I know my time draweth nigh and I'm scared I'm going to throw up. I don't mind throwing up so much, but if the patient knew I was getting sick because of something to do with them, I'd feel really bad. I don't know if just having the desire to be kind and professional will be enough. It just seems to happen.
Whispera, MSN, RN
3,458 Posts
ewww....shoots out your nose?
When I was in nursing school I could handle most fluids except mucus. One day I was suctioning a trach and got the gags. In between suctions, I turned and vomited into the waste basket. Afterwards I apologised, cleaned up my mess, and sat with the patient a few minutes. Later in the day we laughed about it.
I'd recommend carrying menthol coughdrops or those little gelatin breath fresheners in your pocket. Then when you know you're going into an olfactory situation, you pop a coughdrop or a few of the little gelatin sheets into your mouth and you're so wow'ed by the menthol you don't notice the smells of other things so much.