Eczema and Nursing?

[human01]

I really want to be a nurse however, I have pretty severe eczema on most parts of my body, including hands.I have applied for a nursing course but the lectures told me I might need to change to another course as my eczema is an area of concern due to the frequent handwashing, dealing with chemicals etc. involved in nursing. The school isn't kicking me out of the course but warned me of the possibility of not finishing the course and my condition getting worse. At the current moment, I am trying to manage my condition. I really don't know what to do: should I follow my passion, or give up on my dreams?

[ruby_jane, BSN, RN]

Jump onto the school nursing boards and look for the post about eczema. Lots of practical thoughts.

I love this line of conversation. "We think you might want to (insert whatever it is) so that YOU can be comfortable." With the underlying unspoken "The patients don't want to see that...."

BUT - whomever said that is correct; even if you wear gloves you'll be washing your hands a lot. With soap that isn't skin friendly, or alcohol-based sanitizer and the thought of that on my eczema patches makes me cringe.

If this is really your dream you'll have to medically manage your skin, just like nurses with depression, anxiety, asthma, diabetes, and high blood pressure medically manage their conditions. If this is really your dream, you're going to be put into situations that will make an eczema flare worse, at least during your training and the first few years of your practice. It's up to you.

[OldDude]

My grandmother used to tell me..."if you rub chicken poop (she used a different word instead of poop) inside your hat band every morning you'll eventually forget the smell." Just assume eczema will be part of nursing school and rub it into your hat band every morning; you'll find a way to adapt. And check the post on school nurses as ruby mentioned above - quite a few treatment options discussed. Good luck!! Keep us posted as to your successful progress.

[Nature_walker, ASN, BSN, RN]

I'm a nurse and I have mild eczema on my one hand, that gets way worse in winter! I made it through school and have been working for a year and a half. I wash my hands with soap as much as I can since the alcohol sanitizer really dries it out and makes it worse. When I was in school, one of the girls in my class was a derm LPN, she spotted my hand and asked what I was doing to care for it. She recommended a few derm practices near me just to get it checked and see what I could do about it. I have a routine that I use at night when I'm home to help heal it before I have to go back to work. I work 12's and not usually consecutive so I get a break from all the washing for a day or two. Like I said, mine is mild so I can manage it.