I want to be a nurse but I am scared of blood!

GaGeek · Oct 29, 2013

I know a guy in veterinary school who passed out the first time he ever shadowed at a veterinary clinic and watched a surgery. Look at him now! I also know plenty of people who are afraid of needles or get queasy having their own blood drawn, but have no issue using them/drawing on other people. Your situation sounds a little worse than that, but I'm sure that if this is something you really want, you can find coping tools to get you through it. And I would bet that with a little experience, those things will get easier to handle with time.

zeus&lincoln · Oct 29, 2013

It IS most certainly possible to get over this feeling. Once you see anything enough times, you become desensitized to it. Things that used to gross me out don't even phase me anymore. Additionally, you will also adapt techniques to overcome your feelings. Example I loath colostomies, now I can change them without even flinching because I adapted by putting scenty lipgloss on under my mask, now I smell that and not the colostomy! Perfect!

HouTx, BSN, MSN, EdD · Oct 29, 2013

Have you looked into other health care professions? Many of the therapies do not have to deal with wounds, dressings, or other interventions that would involve blood. The educational preparation time is comparable to nursing.

maddiem · Oct 29, 2013

Might sound kinda silly...but have you ever considered going to a therapist? There are special therapists that deal with phobias and can help you deal with year fear and get over it. So if you really want to get over your fear before nursing school, maybe give that a try so you don't pass out at your first clinical :)

CDEWannaBe · Oct 29, 2013

If you want to be a nurse, think you will be able to get past this.

However, I like HouTx advice to seek another area. Have you considered respiratory therapy or radiology or some other area that is in healthcare, but where you won't have to do clinicals in surgery or wound care.

PurpleLover · Oct 29, 2013

I would see if there is a local shadow program that would allow you to see if you could tolerate the environment.

turtle365 · Oct 30, 2013

If it's in your heart you can do it. I remember in nursing school they got us into watching autopsies and surgeries and all this gory stuff pretty early, and it was difficult to watch. There are many different avenues in nursing, some more gory than others. When you get deeper into nursing you will find your "niche". If blood isn't your thing don't go work in the OR or a wound care clinic. If nursing is something you love you can get "desensitized" to the gross factor. If you are able to build a good report with your patients and make a difference in their lives you will probably be able to see past the gross factor because it sounds like your a caring person. Just remember, you will not be the cause of their "boo-boo" per-se, you will just be there to make things better, and believe me a caring and compassionate nurse can make a big difference. Working in LTC I've seen some pretty nasty wounds. The good thing is that with it being LTC I've had a lot of opportunities to see pretty nasty wounds heal, and that is very rewarding when you see really good wound care pay off (even if it is gross). If nursing is something you really want to do you should go for it, some of the things you will see and experience will be difficult, but if it's your "calling" it will be worth it.

windsurfer8, BSN, RN · Oct 30, 2013

You will see blood. I have witnessed an esophageal varice basically explode. You have to make a decision....if you want to be a nurse that is a part of it. I don't know what to tell you. If you want to work in the medical field but can't stand blood maybe go for rad tech or OT or Dietary...or PT maybe? If you cannot stand blood then nursing makes no sense.

ShelbyaStar · Oct 30, 2013

I used to be pretty... queasy? I'm not sure how to explain it. Blood doesn't freak me out per se but anesthesia can for some reason. I've passed out many times. One day I can watch a surgery (I used to be animal science/pre vet) and the next i get woozy at a simple teeth float (when horses get their teeth rasped, they're generally given some pretty strong drugs for it).

I've gotten a lot better. I'm still thinking at some point in my nursing career I might pass out but it sounds like it's more common than one would think. I certainly don't think I want to specialize in OR, but I think I can get through it.

Make sure you get plenty of sleep and you eat before you might see gore! I have noticed that has a lot to do with it. I've also noticed that when given time to think about it I'm more likely to get woozy than when I'm doing it. For example, when I was an ANS student I was drawing blood on lambs. When it was demonstrated to me and it was 3 am and I was hungry, I almost passed out. The next time it was a more reasonable time, I wasn't hungry, and I was drawing the blood myself and I was just fine. If I think about it, I get woozy. If I do it, I am fine. Likewise I can give a shot but when I'm getting one I get sweaty. YMMV.

I would try to immerse yourself as much as possible to try to get a better idea of whether it's something you can get over or not.