In need of some advice

NeosynephRN · Sep 21, 2008

I think we all have our things...some it is puke, for some it is stool...mine is snot. I mean I can suction a vent or a trach till the cows come home, but when someone snargles up that big snot ball and I need to help them with that. Uggghhh I am gaging. It is something that you can work on and nursing can and does work for alot of us that have an aversion!!

chevyv, BSN, RN · Sep 21, 2008

At least you know going in....I worked as a pca in er and a young girl came in with a dog bite to her upper lip. Now, it wasn't bad, just a few stitches, but I thought I was going down right then and there. The doc was so mad because I told him I had to leave the room (and there was no one else available). I sat on the toilet with my head between my knees wondering why I couldn't handle it. I thought it was just a one time thing. A few hrs later an intoxicated gal comes in with a knee injury laid open to the bone. She's oblivious and just wants to get up and pee. I'm trying to maintain, but once again I found myself on the toilet with my head between my knees.

These days I realize my difficulty with open fleshy type wounds and I make sure to breathe. That really helps. I must have been breathing very shallow because now when I start feeling that way, I check myself and make myself breathe. I'm usually fine. Now, I can view open hearts and other surgical stuff, but the fleshy accident/injury types just get me. My advice: Don't forget to be aware of your breathing. :imbar

eliz15 · Sep 21, 2008

Thanks both of you :)

I was just concerned as blood is (i'm guessing) going to be a major part of the career.

Eek, fingers crossed the fear subsides.

ERNurse752, RN · Sep 22, 2008

I think it does tend to subside over time...and if it doesn't, you learn more about yourself and how to prevent yourself from puking or passing out.

I would sometimes get bothered by things if I were just watching. But if I were actually doing something (scrubbing the wound, putting on a dressing, whatever) it didn't bother me. So I eventually realized the wound doesn't bother me (I actually think they're pretty cool)...but it was when I would starting thinking, "Wow, I bet that hurts...wonder that that would feel like?" Personalizing things was what got me, not so much the wound itself.

locolorenzo22, BSN, RN · Sep 22, 2008

I remember my first suction...I thought I was going to puke....now, I suction no prob....

For me, it's vomit....I can do it...but I need some "me" time after.

I can clean incisions, no prob.

It just takes some time to develop a thick skin...I always tell myself that whatever I'm doing helps my patient, and that helps.

ilstu99 · Sep 22, 2008

I agree with everyone else. Most people have their "thing," and they either learn to cope with it or avoid it.

I hate the smell of an ileostomy, and I dislike mucus. I mean....even the word mucus grosses me out. :barf01:I work with a nurse who's been in the NICU for 12 years, and managed to avoid any and all trach care the entire time. She's got skills.

But on the other hand, there's really nothing I can't push back a little. I mean...when I see someone in obvious suffering, my own gross-out factor takes a backseat. That's not to say that I might not turn a little green later on, but it's easy to help them first and barf later.

That being said, there are a ton of nursing jobs, in many different settings. The odds that you'll ever be up to your elbows in someone's gut are pretty slim. If you're truly in doubt...consider the NICU. No one there really has a large amount of blood to be seen....poops are generally small...not a huge amount of mucus....

laketrash · Sep 22, 2008

hi ,

[color=#00bfff] i wouldn't be too worried if i were you because of 2 things; {!}when you really get into things you forget about what you can't stand {2} there are sooooo many different aspects to nursing; if you cannot take 1 thing just try another field. most of all hang in there , you are needed!

Virgo_RN, BSN, RN · Sep 22, 2008

My phobia was blood vessels. I was terrified of starting my first IV. I'm way over it now.

Plus, as others have mentioned, there are different areas of nursing and depending on which you choose, you may not be exposed to many wounds at all.

luvbug · Sep 22, 2008

I have to agree with the first reply--the thing I can't stand the most is snot.

You kinda learn how to deal with it--at least in the presence of a patient--because you don't want to let them see that it bothers you. sometimes you may have to step out of a room to compose yourself and then go back in.

Also, there are may different areas of nursing to be able to keep your blood viewing to a minimum. I work in a clinic and see blood occasionally when someone with a laceration walks in or if I have to help hold a patient's arm for a lab draw. But for the most part, i don't see much blood at all.

In the grand scheme of things, this could be just a minor problem--I wouldn't let it hold you back if nursing is something you truly want to do... :twocents: