Is it weird that I love wound care?

Nurses General Nursing

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I was telling a couple of my friends the other day how I love doing wound care and dressing changes and they though I was a freak, like there was something really wrong with me. One made a joke that they would see me on nancy grace in the future. Is this because they weren't in the medical field or do any of you like wound care too?

Specializes in Acute Rehab, IMCU, ED, med-surg.

I think wound care is the bomb! And nurses who perform excellent wound care? They are great! Because when you see a pressure ulcer that started out big enough to put your fist in sloowwwwwwly start to heal and close up over the course of a couple of months, you know what a difference great wound care makes! So here's to you, wound care nurses, for getting excited :up: about things that make "normal" people feel, well, OOGY!

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I can't wait for wound care! (student.) I don't think you're crazy. I love skin issues.

Think I'm gonna be scared of the boogers though...:uhoh3:

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Ortho, ASC.

I have always thought that I would love to be a wound care nurse if I had to leave my current position. One reason is that as a floor RN, I never felt as (a) I had the time to properly care for my patients' issues, and (b) I never had any follow through with patients because my assignment was different every day. I enjoy seeing positive results, or being able to take steps to remedy negative results.

As has been said, to each his or her own, and thank God for that.

And yes, your friends' reactions are likely due to the fact that they are not in the medical field.

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I can't wait for wound care! (student.) I don't think you're crazy. I love skin issues.

Think I'm gonna be scared of the boogers though...:uhoh3:

lol! Yeah, the only thing that really grosses me out is mucous. I can handle poop, big oozing nasty wounds, vomit, blood...but somebody snotting stuff up/suction is just so gross to me. I can handle it enough, but it's the only thing that really gets to me.

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I don't think it's weird... I am glad that there are nurses that like wound care. I am not one of them. :)

I do love a good abscess though. When I worked in the ER it was very satisfying to watch watch the drs I & D an abscess full of puss. I am with you on the mucous thing- that is the one and only thing that would actually make me gag. I had a patient with a trach that would cough so forecefully secretions would fly across the room, and I actually threw up in his trashcan. :(

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Not weird at all. In fact, when I'm doing wound care, I really feel an inner calm that I don't feel when I'm doing other tasks during my day as a nurse.

I'm in a masters program, and if I end up not caring a whole lot for clinical family care, I'm going to do something with wound care. With an aging population, this can only get more in demand with time.

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Specializes in Oncology.

I have gotten similar reactions from my friends after describing my love of burn patients and debridement. People outside of the medical world just don't understand. ;)

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I'm an outpatient nurse, so I follow my pts closely long term. I love doing wound care, especially for my pts with long term devices - it's very satisfying to see improvement in the wound and help the pt go back to living a more normal life.

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Specializes in Psych ICU, addictions.
I was telling a couple of my friends the other day how I love doing wound care and dressing changes and they though I was a freak, like there was something really wrong with me.

That's ok, I get the same reaction from people when I tell them love psychiatric nursing :D

Everyone's niche is waiting for them--it's great that you found yours! Nothing is wrong with you...enjoy it :up:

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Specializes in ortho, hospice volunteer, psych,.

not weird at all! people have thouught i'm strange because i love psych nursing.

right now, i have a very personal reason for appreciating your dedication to wound care nursing.

my husband has been diabetic since he was nine and had no problems until about 18 months ago, when

he scratched his ankle while hiking in the woods. it was so tiny that he never noticed it. it became

infected, he had surgery, developed a venous stasis ulcer, regular debridements, pt, but to no avail.

he had a hospitalization in july and is now is a wound care/rehab center. he's been there for a month

today and it's because of dedicated nurses like you, that he's finally healing. he wore a wound vac as an

outpatient that hissed and leaked. i didn't know much, but i did know something was wrong. a wound care nurse picked it up right away. we need nurses like you.

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love wound care!! obviously this is somewhat of a weird nursing trait.

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Specializes in NICU.

See if your hospital has a Wound Care Team/Skin Care Team or some other variation. You could volunteer to be the representative for your unit. Not only will you learn a lot but you will get to use it towards your clinical ladder.

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