Faint of heart

At work I am superhuman.. blood guts bones poo whatever... at home, if I see the tiniest of scrapes on anyone I love, I become a blob of jello.

I have learned if I think too much about the patient and if they are afraid or hurting, that the blood will drain from my head and I will go down. Now, I do what needs to be done first, in the moment, and soothe the pain and worry afterward. No more light headedness for me.

It's okay, you are human, and not the only gal that has felt that way. Chin up :) Ivanna

I've done dressings on dehisced abdominal wounds that were so deep, the fascia was exposed. And yet I freaked out when my older son was four and had a tick on his belly.

You will be okay. :)

I completely agree with previous posts.......you cannot toss out hopes of becoming a Nurse based on one experience at home. Totally different when you are at work, dealing with patients vs. dealing with stuff at home. I have been a RN for over 19 years.....yet.....I feel like a dummy when my kids get sick, injured, etc.......

Things at the hospital don't bother me, but loved ones at home... I can't handle it!

OMG! thank you guys! reading these posts made smile and gave me hopes. I will tell this to my husband to let him know that it was ok what I felt today. That was what I thought at first, that I felt that way because he is my husband, of course, that doesn't mean I won't feel compasion for strangers but when it is someone you love even if you are a doctor you'll panic. I will keep nursing in my mind until I get there.:)

I'm not a nurse yet, but I think what you're hearing here is true. My mom's a nurse practitioner who worked as an RN in the ICU for years and years. When I was a teenager, I had my tonsils out. She was there in the recovery room as I was waking up. I started coughing and blood splattered the inside of my oxygen mask. My mom FREAKED out!

When I was more coherent, I asked her why in the world she, of all people, got so worked up over a little bit of blood. Her response was simply "because that was MY baby!" Professional detachment doesn't apply to your own loved ones.

If you're still unsure of your ability to handle the "icky" side of nursing, see if you can shadow a nurse for a while before starting into nursing school.

redessa, thanks for your reply. Shadowing a nurse sounds like a great idea, but how can I do that?

redessa, thanks for your reply. Shadowing a nurse sounds like a great idea, but how can I do that?

Contact some local hospitals to see if they allow it. ^^

this is why you dont have your own family as patients....

I used to be an ICU nurse. I could handle seeing my patients intubated, restrained, sedated, hooked up to the monitor, foley, art line, chest tubes, etc.

However, when my Grandpa was in the cardiovascular ICU, I went to visit him in my scrubs and become completely unglued. I cried like a baby. He was on a vent, sedated with propofol, in restraints, had an art line, foley, and hooked up to every monitor known to man. Although I KNEW he was stable, it is something totally different when it's your family member.

You will be just fine. Continue to pursue nursing.