Don't Want To Touch Patients!

jadelpn, LPN, EMT-B · Mar 29, 2015

If you are a pre-nursing student,OP, then you are taking your general education courses for a degree. So you have a couple of years to think about your goals and objectives, and where you see yourself 4 years from now.

I would have conversation with your guidance counselor for ideas. Social work is a wonderful choice, as is Human Resources, teaching...lots of things that don't require one to actually touch people.

But know your aversion to touching people may seem overwhelming to you today, but you may feel differently in a couple of years, and want to pursue nursing. Lots of younger people think parts of nursing are "gross" and "how do you DO that" but maturity brings a different mindset sometimes.

Your goal could be nursing informatics. Your goal could be case management. But you would have to go through nursing clinicals to get your BSN before moving on to a masters.

If you are finding that your germ and touching issue is interfering with any other portion of your life, you can get some counseling for that. And you should, as no one needs to be in distress over germs and touching that they can't function well.

The media is all over people catching all sorts of diseases, scare tactics, hand washing to compulsion--no wonder any number of young people are paranoid. But OP, you need to take control of this before it becomes out of control. Even if you decide that nursing is the LAST thing you want to do.

Best wishes!

No Stars In My Eyes · Mar 29, 2015

I grew up before germs were the boogey-man, and went through training before the advent of glove use for every little thing.

I am alive and very healthy. No weird rashes or dastardly diseases.

Soap and water can be sufficient and it doesn't even have to be antibacterial soap, in fact I prefer it isn't.

I know that's no help if you really are phobic, but I just wanted to say it.

Glycerine82, LPN · Mar 29, 2015

I'm not a germaphobe, but I am a bit of a hypochondriac. (Seriously, why is that word spelled "hypo" when its an obsession of sorts. YOu'd think it would be hyper...)

Its actually gotten better as I've started learning, because now I know more about the human body and don't freak out as easily since I can usually find a logical explanation to things I would previously never have found logical.

I would think the same thing could apply to a situation like this, and since others may stumble upon this thread later on, I thought I'd mention it.

lizzytisch · Mar 29, 2015

Just wanted to send a word of encouragement. I am an RN that works on a Med-Surg floor. While I don't have OCD, I have been a germaphobe for as long as I can remember. (Even now as I was writing this, I accidentally touched the bottom of my slipper and it grossed me out so I had to get up and wash my hands.)

I remember as a nursing student I would duck into the public bathroom at the hospital after our clinicals and change into street clothes so I wouldn't bring any "yucka blucka's" home with me. I would go right home and wouldn't even sit down until I had taken a hot shower. I even told my sister once not to hug me until I could get cleaned up.

What I am saying is, if nursing is truly your dream job, you will find little ways to cope with the germy-ness of it. For example, I use my old winter coat rather than my new nice one to wear to the hospital. I leave my dedicated work shoes in the hospital locker room. If you do happen to have a horror story with an exploding BM, vomit, or the like, most likely the hospital will have spare scrubs for you to change into. Most hospitals have bleach wipes or other disinfectant wipes to keep your stethoscope, computer, pens, clipboard, etc. germ free. I wear gloves for EVERYTHING from my initial assessment to taking vitals to a simple med pass.

As for physical touch: it is actually impossible to get through nursing school and clinicals without ever touching a patient. You need to learn how to assess someone, do bed changes, dressing changes, enemas, etc., etc. If that is impossible for you to even think about without twitching, then yes, choose a different profession. If contact gowns and disposable gloves bring you some peace of mind, maybe start working as a nursing assistant to give working in a hospital a trial run.

Good luck!!

Wake88, BSN, RN · Mar 29, 2015

You're gonna have to.

I work as a CNA, and have been and will be back in nursing school.

You'll need to get over that fear of germs and touching/being around people, because the job requires you to be extremely social and you'll be put into situations that absolutely require the things you're afraid of.

Wake88, BSN, RN · Mar 29, 2015

I also think it could be something you can work on.

Before working as a CNA I hated the smell and the thought of cleaning up patients who had soiled themselves. Still do, but after having a ton of experiences it stopped being an issue for me, and now it's simply second nature to help clean someone up who had an accident. Not sure, but maybe the same could be said for a fear of germs.

If you absolutely can't get over your fear of germs or touching peeps, don't become a nurse. You will regret being in debt after you fail out because of your anxiety. You won't be able to work in a facility: especially acute, sub-acute, and rehab facilities. Especially when it comes to contact isolation, droplet isolation, etc. You'll come into close contact with things like necrotizing fasciitis, c. difficile, MRSA, etc, and you're smell it all, too. You'll have to do wound treatment care on horrible wounds, like pressure ulcers, lacerated skin, torn toes and appendages, and flesh ravaged by pathogens. And you'll need to do it all through touch and steel of nerve.

You will have to be extremely inter-personal, truly give a damn, and get in there and take care of them, and nurse them back to health to the best of your abilities.

I used to be anti-social way back when, and a nervous, anxious introvert. No more. Working with many people each day and many patients totally changed me for the better. I think you can get over your fears. If I can, you can. If not, please take my wisdom and don't get into nursing. Otherwise you'll be left with a pile of debt and a sinking feeling of depression when you have to contemplate a different career field. Maybe you should try becoming a CNA first, at a facility, and slowly, slowly work your way up until you have a better feeling of where you want to be in life.

macawake, MSN · Mar 29, 2015

I'm not a germaphobe, but I am a bit of a hypochondriac. (Seriously, why is that word spelled "hypo" when its an obsession of sorts. YOu'd think it would be hyper...)

Hypochondrium (pl. hypochondria) (Latin) or hupokhondrion (I think is the correct Greek spelling) is an anatomical location, the upper lateral abdominal region overlying the coastal cartilages.

In ancient times the abdomen (below/under coastal cartilages) was thought to be the seat of melancholy which was believed to be the source of "illness without a real cause", i.e. hypochondria.

musicgal · Mar 29, 2015

As a germophobe you should know that you do not have to touch a patient to encounter hospital bugs - including superbugs like CDiff, MRSA, CRE, etc. They are everywhere - on computer keyboards, faucets, everywhere.

Also, you may have a patient with TB that has not been diagnosed, or the doctors have not put on airborne precautions to r/o TB yet, cough in your face (nurses are high risk for TB exposure, right up there with inmates).

Also, as a nurse you may get needle stick injuries from patients with Hep C, HIV, etc.

Lastly, as nurses we do more than just 'touch' patients. We scoop faeces from the bed, wipe it from their limbs, hold their hair while they vomit, wipe purulent discharge from their wounds. So you are absolutely not going to like nursing. Nurses need to revolve around their patients needs, not their own. And if you are pre-occupied with germs, they will not get the care they deserve. Honestly, I don't think that you can truly nurture a person when deep down you are terrified that they will harm you. I wish you all the joy in the world, but for the sake of patients, please pick another career. Something where you can nurture healthy people. Maybe a teacher?

Editorial Team / Admin · Mar 29, 2015

As a germophobe you should know that you will not only encounter regular germs in a hospital, you will also encounter superbugs on a regular basis - CDiff, MRSA, CRE, etc. You may have a patient with TB that has not been diagnosed, or the doctors have not put on airborne precautions to r/o TB yet, cough in your face (nurses are high risk for TB exposure, right up there with inmates). You will encounter viruses/ bacteria/ spores that have not even been discovered yet. You may get needle stick injuries from patients with Hep C, HIV, etc. You will not just have to touch patients, you will have to scoop faeces from the bed, wipe it from their limbs, hold their hair while they vomit, wipe purulent discharge from their wounds. So you are absolutely not going to like nursing. Nurses need to revolve around their patients needs, not their own. And if you are pre-occupied with germs, they will not get the care they deserve. I wish you all the joy in the world, but for the sake of patients, please pick another career.

And yet, all of those patients with those "superbugs" are out in the community before and after diagnosis, without the isolation gear and warning signs.

Yes, OP, patient touch is going to be required, especially during nursing school. If that truly is a deal breaker for you, it would be best to research other helping professions.

sistrmoon, BSN, RN · Mar 30, 2015

Speech therapy is another avenue you could consider if you would like to be in a helping profession. It offers job security, a higher salary than nursing and the option to work in many settings such as schools, hospitals, home health and rehab facilities. A Master's degree is required.

Eh, I don't know. Swallow evals probably wouldn't be too pleasant for a germaphobe.

No Stars In My Eyes · Mar 30, 2015

Maybe OP could figure out a way to do all required care with a couple of sets of a variety of sized padded tongs......like from chop-sticks size to ice-block or log moving size? They could be carried on a tool-belt.

RNsRWe, ASN, RN · Mar 30, 2015

Maybe OP could figure out a way to do all required care with a couple of sets of a variety of sized padded tongs......like from chop-sticks size to ice-block or log moving size? They could be carried on a tool-belt.

My vote is for oven mitts.