Is clinic nursing a dirty job?

[Yerani27]

Hello. I was curious as to whether clinic nursing is a dirty job. I have no issues with blood, but I'm wondering if any of you clinic nurses have to deal with other unpleasant things. I still believe nurses are amazing given all the responsibilities they have. Thank you for all you advice!

[la_chica_suerte85, BSN, RN]

Knowing basic human physiology, ALL nursing is dirty.

Also, not all nurses are suited to dealing with gore (like wound care) or with outbreaks of head lice (a la the prison setting) and everyone handles and adapts to things differently. I helped a patient that I thought was I was going to get lice from and had some wounds that, when removing the sorry excuse for a dressing, gnats (and hair of unidentified origin) flew out from underneath it. I was checking for maggots cuz, yeah, that's what you do. I also went home wearing someone else's blood. Whatevs. What takes the "ewww" out of it is that I helped make those people feel better.

I think sometimes people expect, especially on a med-surg floor, to maybe see pts relatively intact (think at the end of Captain America 2 with Rogers waking up in the hospital). Would I LOVE to take care of a pt like him (esp. the rapid healing and all)? YES. Is that reality? God, no. That would be SO boring in, like, 5 minutes.

[la_chica_suerte85, BSN, RN]

OP, that said, you really do get used to it. It doesn't take long. Everyone has certain cases they don't like..for some it is big belly cases (any time you're in the colon you've got issues) and for some it's eyeballs or palates. Desensitization is a beautiful thing.

Eyeballs....blech!!!!! Get out of here with that mess!!!!

[roser13, ASN, RN]

BV. Oh please, the BV.

Hate to show my ignorance - BV?

NM. I used The Google.

[Farawyn]

Hate to show my ignorance - BV?

NM. I used The Google.

Hahahahaha. It's putrid.

[Nurse Leigh]

BV. Oh please, the BV.

Hate to show my ignorance - BV?

NM. I used The Google.

Hahahahaha. It's putrid.

I had to search, too.

I am such a proponent of Planned Parenthood and they have my support but it's stuff like this that makes me think women's health may not be for me.

In college I spent a summer working at a (mostly psych) facility in the activities department. But I pulled in all sorts of directions and once accompanied the social worker when she took a resident in for her gyn exam. Somehow I ended up in the exam room with them, thankfully at least at the head of the bed.

OMG. The SMELL.

If you'd told me then I would end up going back to school for nursing I would have told you you were out of your mind!

[Farawyn]

I had to search, too.

I am such a proponent of Planned Parenthood and they have my support but it's stuff like this that makes me think women's health may not be for me.

In college I spent a summer working at a (mostly psych) facility in the activities department. But I pulled in all sorts of directions and once accompanied the social worker when she took a resident in for her gyn exam. Somehow I ended up in the exam room with them, thankfully at least at the head of the bed.

OMG. The SMELL.

If you'd told me then I would end up going back to school for nursing I would have told you you were out of your mind!

Ya know what though? I had SO much fun working there.

[CelticGoddess, BSN, RN]

Hahahahaha. It's putrid.

To quote a friend of mine (Paramedic, now over the county) "If you have bv, you need to get treated or you might die. But don't call us. The truck smells for weeks afterward and we don't need that. Just drive yourself!"

[klone, MSN, RN]

You get used to it. The only smell that's impossible to get used to is the smell of old tampons that have been left inside for weeks. Hopefully, you have warning before you pull it out, and you can grab a screw-top specimen cup to quickly put it in. Then, if you're lucky, it just makes that exam room uninhabitable for the rest of the day, instead of the entire clinic.

[klone, MSN, RN]

"If you have bv, you need to get treated or you might die.

They actually said that?? You don't DIE from BV! It's like a lady partsl yeast infection, except it's also smelly instead of just itchy. You *certainly* don't need to drive yourself to the hospital for it!

Most cases of BV will go away on their own, if you can wait out the odor.

[cracklingkraken, ASN, RN]

You get used to it. The only smell that's impossible to get used to is the smell of old tampons that have been left inside for weeks. Hopefully, you have warning before you pull it out, and you can grab a screw-top specimen cup to quickly put it in. Then, if you're lucky, it just makes that exam room uninhabitable for the rest of the day, instead of the entire clinic.

How do you forget to take out a tampon for weeks!?

[klone, MSN, RN]

How do you forget to take out a tampon for weeks!?

I've wondered that question. It's sort of like "How can an IUD fall out and you not notice?"

You'd think it's obvious, but it surprisingly happens to a lot of women.

[Farawyn]

You get used to it. The only smell that's impossible to get used to is the smell of old tampons that have been left inside for weeks. Hopefully, you have warning before you pull it out, and you can grab a screw-top specimen cup to quickly put it in. Then, if you're lucky, it just makes that exam room uninhabitable for the rest of the day, instead of the entire clinic.

Sometimes it's a surprise!!!