I HATE this!!!!

[BellaBloo]

I am so upset and don't know exactly what to do. I am four weeks into my CNA I class (required to start RN school, which I am scheduled for in August). Clinicals start in 2 more weeks and I am skeeved out! I don't like touching people and am absolutely disgusted at the idea of wahing people's hair, giving massages w/o gloves (who is doing this for me???), bathing them, and especially cleaning up thier poop (my teacher got mad at me for asking if I cold wear a mask while doing this). When I found out about removing fecal impactions, well that sent me over the edge. Class is also very boring! I just don't know if this is for me. Will it get better when I am an RN, or is this all it is? I am sorry and mean no disrespect to those of you who love it, but I just dread going to class every day. What is going on with me?

[S.N. Visit, BSN, RN]

If it is the science of it that fascinates you, then I don't think nursing is really for you. A very large portion of it is caring. You need to genuinely care about your patients, interacting with them and their sometimes demanding and unreasonable family members, and enjoy making a difference in their lives. It's good that you have an ultimate goal, but you have to do some less glamourous stuff first in order to get there. Depending on which area or nursing you will work in (if you still decide to go the RN route) you will still be deaing with blood and body fluids. And you will most definitely have to get comfortable with touching people. If you can't get past this, then you should reconsider your career path. You say you like the science of it? You can still work in the healthcare field. I can't think of that many careers off the top of my head right now but maybe you might want to consider pharmacy, (this involves a LOT of science but also pt education) maybe a microbiologist or a science professor.

If the scientific aspect draws you into nursing explore health care and see what else is out there that may be for you. What about being a lab technologist? I've considered this several times. I too love the sciences. I'm one of the few who actually had fun in classes like Chem and Micro, the info just made sense to me. The only reason I didn't change my major was that I really enjoy the patient care aspect of nursing.

I agree. Don't waste your time & money in the nursing field, explore other fields until you find some-thing you love!

[SuesquatchRN, BSN, RN]

What drew me to nursing? I have to say that honestly it is the scientific aspect. I have no problem with the fluids one they are not attached to the person- weird, I know, but it's just me. I really want to be a CRNA eventually, and this is just part of the process. Before anyone flies off the handle about how I should be more empathetic before I have anyone's life in my hands, I am very scientifically/ technically minded and am very good handling stress under difficult situations.

Then go straight through school to the master's portion and avoid bedside nursing entirely. There's no reason on earth you can't be a CRNA but, please, spare both patients and staff from having to deal with your ick issues.

Good luck. This is a good way to get to a well-paying technical aspect of medicine.

[DesertRain]

Do you ever watch House? Dr. House lacks the emotion but has great intelligence.

Why not do Med School? I know that doctor's have direct patient interaction as well but nurses are the first hand to be held when a patient is in need. Much more so than a doctor. You would have plenty of science courses ahead of you that you would find fascinating.

Or what about lab work like someone else suggested? My friend's sister is an actual chemist (sounds weird I know) but she works for a large pharmaceutical company. Maybe you could do something along those lines if something like anesthesia interests you?

Even if you go straight through school for your Masters, there are still actual people to deal with in clinicals. Honestly I really do hope you find something that works for you but please put yourself in a patients shoes, you would not want to have someone take care of you that didn't want to touch you, or help you with things you couldn't do. I wouldn't want someone like that for myself and especially not for the people I love. I know that there are nurses out there that are doing it for the job and not because they are passionate about it or care for people. I can deal with that but it's just as bad as knowing your child's teacher hates children and is only teaching for the salary.

Please make a wise decision. No matter what, there is no avoiding people in Nursing School, no matter what road or path you take.

[SuesquatchRN, BSN, RN]

Med school's a lot more years and a lot more money. Lab tech doesn't pay squat.

A nurse not liking to touch people isn't the same as actively hating the people, as in the child-hating teacher analogy. There's a world of difference.

[Spidey's mom, ADN, BSN, RN]

Nursing isn't just "caring" . . .IT IS SCIENTIFIC.

(How many people on here hate the Johnson and Johnson "caring" nurses commericials?)

Any time you deal with human beings though - you will deal with the "not so pretty" aspects. Yesterday a lady in labor had a bm as she was pushing her baby out . . . . (many moms don't realize they do this when they give birth). The doc just wipes it off.

Doctors deal with poop, vomit, etc. Maybe not to the extent nurses do but they do sigmoidoscopies and colonoscopies and prostate exams. They do lady partsl checks in OB.

I encourage you to finish - even though I disagree with schools who require CNA prior to starting the program.

I wish you the best.

steph

[pagandeva2000, LPN]

Do you ever watch House? Dr. House lacks the emotion but has great intelligence.

Why not do Med School? I know that doctor's have direct patient interaction as well but nurses are the first hand to be held when a patient is in need. Much more so than a doctor. You would have plenty of science courses ahead of you that you would find fascinating.

Or what about lab work like someone else suggested? My friend's sister is an actual chemist (sounds weird I know) but she works for a large pharmaceutical company. Maybe you could do something along those lines if something like anesthesia interests you?

Even if you go straight through school for your Masters, there are still actual people to deal with in clinicals. Honestly I really do hope you find something that works for you but please put yourself in a patients shoes, you would not want to have someone take care of you that didn't want to touch you, or help you with things you couldn't do. I wouldn't want someone like that for myself and especially not for the people I love. I know that there are nurses out there that are doing it for the job and not because they are passionate about it or care for people. I can deal with that but it's just as bad as knowing your child's teacher hates children and is only teaching for the salary.

Please make a wise decision. No matter what, there is no avoiding people in Nursing School, no matter what road or path you take.

That was worded so nicely

[DesertRain]

Med school's a lot more years and a lot more money. Lab tech doesn't pay squat.

A nurse not liking to touch people isn't the same as actively hating the people, as in the child-hating teacher analogy. There's a world of difference.

Med School in total would equivalate to 2 extra years post Masters if you add them up. She never said she was concerned about the money. The girl I know that works for the Pharmaceutical company makes way way way more money than any nurse I know. And out of curiousity, not that I doubt your opinion but what do you feel are the differences with my analogy?

My mother is an FNP & owns a group home and has a few hospice clients. I have met a home health nurse who was honest with me when I told her I was going to be an RN and said it "wasn't for her" and moved to hospice and home health because it was less interaction. Anyways, when I called to let her know that one of her hospice patients had passed, under her breath she said, "finally". And although hospice is no secret that the person is dying, I felt that I would never want someone like that to take care of me or my family.

Yes, nursing is also scientific. For those of you who see it that way, like I said, there are going to always be people who don't actually want to do it to help people, and I am okay with that, that's what living as a human being in this world encompasses. But, the OP is asking for advice and hasn't completed NS yet and still has a chance to live a satisfying life doing something she loves and respectively giving back in a genuine way to the community, whether she "touches" people or not.

[pagandeva2000, LPN]

Med School in total would equivalate to 2 extra years post Masters if you add them up. She never said she was concerned about the money. The girl I know that works for the Pharmaceutical company makes way way way more money than any nurse I know. And out of curiousity, not that I doubt your opinion but what do you feel are the differences with my analogy?

My mother is an FNP & owns a group home and has a few hospice clients. I have met a home health nurse who was honest with me when I told her I was going to be an RN and said it "wasn't for her" and moved to hospice and home health because it was less interaction. Anyways, when I called to let her know that one of her hospice patients had passed, under her breath she said, "finally". And although hospice is no secret that the person is dying, I felt that I would never want someone like that to take care of me or my family.

Yes, nursing is also scientific. For those of you who see it that way, like I said, there are going to always be people who don't actually want to do it to help people, and I am okay with that, that's what living as a human being in this world encompasses. But, the OP is asking for advice and hasn't completed NS yet and still has a chance to live a satisfying life doing something she loves and respectively giving back in a genuine way to the community, whether she "touches" people or not.

I wasn't present to hear the tone of voice of the hospice nurse, but in most cases, when a nurse says "about time" when a patient passes away, that is because they have witnessed that person suffer for a long time, and are relieved that the suffering is now, over. Just a thought...

[scrubsnhugsRN]

I am going to put my two cents in here. I was a CNA for a long time, and while I know for a fact that no CNA likes wiping up BM etc, there is a higher purpose and this is what motivates us in doing it with respect and caring. I personally as a CNA and a nurse would never want a nurse who cannot rise above thier own disgust and perform "dirty tasks". What kind of team member will you be to the other staff if you consider yourself above these tasks. How will you report to the physician if this persons wound is seeping green puss, or there is blood in the stool, or thier decub is 3 inches deep if you are not getting in there and dealing with it? As a former CNA I would not want a nurse who wont help me out by answering a call light and helping a pt with a bedpan while I was busy.....as a nurse I wouldnt want to work with another nurse who was grossed out with all aspects of touching a pt.

You need to find another career, mabye lab work....even CRNA's end up with dirty work.

[SuesquatchRN, BSN, RN]

She never claimed that she was above anything. She said she didn't like it.

Geeze.

Two extra years full time post masters is a lot of time and money. And your friend working for the pharmaceuticals company isn't representative of every person with a lexs-than-doctorate working in the sciences.

And I really don't feel like dissecting your analogy. Disliking a task, though, is completely different than actively detesting the people for whom you're performing it. As your teacher.

I work in LTC and love my residents. I am, however, very grateful that we have CNA's because I frankly do not want to do the daily care and toileting on a bunch of old incontinent of b/b folks. When an unhappy, in constant pain, 92 year old woman died in her sleep this week I said, "Finally." If these things mean I should find another profession so be it. I'm not going to.

[Kim O'Therapy, BSN, RN]

This carreer choice may not be for you, and that's OK. I think it is a positive thing that you found out NOW, not after putting alot of money into tuition. There are a few colleges here that have started requiring a summer CNA program before allowing one to start the nursing program and now I understand why.

[beth66335, BSN, RN]

I remember when I did clinicals for CNA.I was afraid the person would be embarrassed when I bathed them, most don't care and some don't know your even there. I have 3 kids so I have already dealt with poop and pee in my life. After I worked for awhile, these people just became like babies to me ( albeit large ones!) I have never given a massage in my career, you don't have time! Washing hair is not so bad if they are fairly clean to begin with. Bottom line, you may want to at least do 1 day of clinicals, it may not be so bad, and unless you want to work with older folks or stroke patients in your RN career you won't be doing as much cleaning up people. The only thing I would say is that if you can't handle sticking people for blood or IV's nursing is definitely not for you! If you don't mind fluid apart from people lab tech might be good,but again you will have to stick people in that line of work. Good Luck!