Majoring in nursing but I am huge germaphobe. How will this work?

[KariT]

Hi everyone!

I am almost certain that I may get some negative responses from this post but I'm being realistic and just need some advice of what I should be aware of when trying to avoid germs as much as possible and still become a nurse.

So I am an upcoming junior in a BSN program that will start this fall, but my aunt and my siblings doesn't think it will be the right career for me because I'm a germaphobe. But I always tell them that I can still be a nurse and just not touch anything without gloves.

Like for example, I will never touch a doorknob/elevator button without a kleenex; I constant bleach my bathroom (the fumes overwhelme my family; once I take a shower I cannot go back outside or wear outside clothes/shoes; I constantly clean my phone every night with alcohol to the point it has messed up my screen and hands; I also do not like when people touch me without first seeing them wash their hands; I wash my hands up to my forearm atleast 6-10 times a day to point I now have sensitive skin and eczema; I don't drink/eat from cups, spoons, or bowls if someone has already used it once before even if it was clean; lastly I wash my bed sheets everday and poor galf a gallon of detergent in there and this to the point where my mother say I'm the reason why her water bill is so high.

I do other things that sometimes I'm not aware of when it comes to germ but I can't think of them right now.

But my question is how this affect me a nurse? Is there someone I should be aware of being a germaphobe and a nurse? I believe I will just find in the profession and still be able to avoid my fears as possible. Because as long as I have gloves on I wound'nt mind cleaning up poop or amything.

EDIT: I also forgot to mention that I spend about $60-$100 a month in cleaning supplies because I use them so much that they never last more than 3 days so I always go out and buy some more in bulk.

Also sorry for any grammatical errors.

[Philly85]

I also have a bit of germaphobia, though not to the extent that you describe, so I can definitely understand where you are coming from. I don't like to shake peoples' hands, touch door knobs, elevator buttons, etc. I'm also a BSN student and currently in my second clinical rotation. During the first rotation, it wasn't that bad because, as you said, you are wearing gloves. However, I do still get anxiety when I have to enter a pt's room that has contact precautions. I am working on my anxiety and I think I'm going to be OK. The more education you have about how things are spread, etc, the better.

I do, however, worry for you in your regular life. It sounds like you have a lot of anxiety and compulsions which probably cause you a lot of stress and the last thing a new nurse needs is undue stress! Have you seen a therapist or tried any anti-anxiety medications?

I'm not really one to talk, b/c I haven't done so, but I am also not at the level you are at (no offense meant at all).

If you really put your mind to it, you can do anything you want to do, just make sure you get as much education as possible and hopefully get some professional help if you feel up to it.

Best wishes!

[Isakolistic]

The everyday germophobia is workable; I had a classmate who had a lesser degree of germophobia that she was able to overcome during nursing school. If you can get over the fact that at some (even many) time(s) during your nursing career you will have someone else's bodily fluids on yourself, then I think you'll be able to handle it. If you would be unable to compose yourself or continue your workday after an incident like this, you may have problems. Maybe a more controlled setting like research or management would suit you better.

[Davey Do]

Wow, KariT.

I believe you'd feel right at home working in the OR where there are a lot of sterile fields!

Cleanest area of nursing I ever worked.

[NightNerd, MSN, RN]

If you are washing your hands to the point that it is causing skin problems and cleaning to the point of breathing difficulty and spending that much money on supplies, I feel like this is actually affecting your quality of life. Don't get me wrong, it's important to be clean for sure, in the home and maybe even more as a nurse - yot NEVER want to be the one who thinks, "Am I the one who passed C-diff from Room 1 to Room 2?" As PP pointed out, there are work settings where this will be a huge asset, such as OR. But for the sake of your skin and your family's lungs and sanity, maybe you should look into some CBT? There are individual workbooks you can even do on your own to understand your thoughts and behaviors better.

Is there a particular fear or worry you have that fuels the measures you take? And to clarify, you haven't started clinicals yet, right? Correct me if I'm wrong.

[KariT]

Wow, KariT.

I believe you'd feel right at home working in the OR where there are a lot of sterile fields!

Cleanest area of nursing I ever worked.

Great suggestion!

[traumaRUs, MSN, APRN]

Moved to another forum.

[KariT]

If you are washing your hands to the point that it is causing skin problems and cleaning to the point of breathing difficulty and spending that much money on supplies, I feel like this is actually affecting your quality of life. Don't get me wrong, it's important to be clean for sure, in the home and maybe even more as a nurse - yot NEVER want to be the one who thinks, "Am I the one who passed C-diff from Room 1 to Room 2?" As PP pointed out, there are work settings where this will be a huge asset, such as OR. But for the sake of your skin and your family's lungs and sanity, maybe you should look into some CBT? There are individual workbooks you can even do on your own to understand your thoughts and behaviors better.

Is there a particular fear or worry you have that fuels the measures you take? And to clarify, you haven't started clinicals yet, right? Correct me if I'm wrong.

No, I haven't started clinical yet. And I haven't always been a germaphobe it just started about 1.5 year ago in which I was not this obsessed with until I took microbiology and it kinda fueled the fire from there.

[Kuriin, BSN, RN]

Don't do bedside nursing. OR nursing as someone suggested previously is probably the only place you will fit in OK.

[elkpark]

Please don't think I mean this in a bad way, but you might benefit from a psychiatric evaluation. The behaviors you're describing could possibly be a treatable psychiatric disorder. Best wishes!

[meanmaryjean, DNP, RN]

Please don't think I mean this in a bad way, but you might benefit from a psychiatric evaluation. The behaviors you're describing could possibly be a treatable psychiatric disorder. Best wishes!

I agree! Also, consider this. You HAVE an immune system- did you ever catch some type of contagion BEFORE taking micro? No? Guess why? Because you have an immune system.

Does one train for a marathon by avoiding all types of physical activity? Neither does one maintain a healthy immune system by avoiding all contact with the outside environment. You're also killing yourself with all the bleach fumes.

Seriously, see someone about this- your degree of phobia is extreme and unhealthy.

[hopefulFNP2017]

Whoa.

I think if you can channel that desire to be clean for your PATIENTS, and have that passion to make sure they are cleaned and changed, and experiencing a sterile, germ-free stay while they are under your care, it can work out nicely. But if your fixation is on keeping yourself clean, I see it being a huge detriment. If someone's vomitting all over, spraying bits of stuff into the air all around, and going into shock or something, I don't think we can afford to freeze up or freak out. That's a scary thing for me to think about that already, that someone's life could be in our hands, but to have to deal with germaphobic oppression on top of that would be...insane.