Unsure about studying nursing!

Ruby Vee, BSN · Aug 27, 2016

I'm a young irish male student, after just having completing a year in college as a commerce student, i found the course rathering boring and dull and my studies have fazed off and i failed miserable in some of my end of term modules which resulted in having to repeat my exams due to a lack of 'interest'.
I'm really considering studying nursing and dropping out of my commerce course. I hope i don't offend anybody here and i sincerely understand nurses work tirelessly and without them doctors wouldn't get anywhere!
The problem is the idea of wiping someone elses faeces/urine doesn't really appeal to me at all and i'm quite sensitive to nasty smells and tend to react really badly. I honestly think though i wouldn't mind giving out meds/ any physical work like lifting patiences etc and or feeding them even the smallest things would mean i have accomplished something!
Anyway if i decide to do this, its a one year course and after completing it then you are qualified as a care assistant and then you have an option to study in the uk to become a fully registered nurse which lasts 3 years! Unfortunately my state exam results were poor and as a result of that i have to pursue my studies abroad.
Sorry for the long thread guys hope you understand and i welcome all suggestions and advise, hope you have a good day thanks! :)

If you are going to be a care assistant or a nurse, you are going to have to wipe butts and deal with nasty smells. The good news is that most folks get over the sensitivity to smells. My husband used to become faint when he ventured onto a nursing unit (or so he says); he's been a successful nurse for 35 years. But you will have to deal with bodily fluids and you will have to do it without making the patient feel worse about it than he already does. If you aren't open to that, studying nursing is a waste of time. There are nursing jobs where you don't have to deal with anyone who isn't responsible for toilet ing himself, but you have to gain a little experience in the trenches before you qualify for that.

Banana nut, BSN, RN, EMT-B · Aug 30, 2016

If you are going to be a care assistant or a nurse, you are going to have to wipe butts and deal with nasty smells. The good news is that most folks get over the sensitivity to smells. My husband used to become faint when he ventured onto a nursing unit (or so he says); he's been a successful nurse for 35 years. But you will have to deal with bodily fluids and you will have to do it without making the patient feel worse about it than he already does. If you aren't open to that, studying nursing is a waste of time. There are nursing jobs where you don't have to deal with anyone who isn't responsible for toilet ing himself, but you have to gain a little experience in the trenches before you qualify for that.

You can actually work on a psych unit where you will not wipe anyone's butt ever! All you do is pass PO meds and give emergency IM injections. Its a lot of fun and you get to take violent patients down sometimes. You may want to look into behavioral health or psych nursing or Medical Detox nursing as an option and you can do it with no prior work experience and straight out of nursing school!

Best of luck!

sergel02, BSN · Aug 30, 2016

You can actually work on a psych unit where you will not wipe anyone's butt ever!
Best of luck!

Although you may get some feces thrown at you (if my psych rotation was any indication) lol.

As for the smells and fluids, ehh, you get used to it. And some things will just gross you out no matter what. I recall seeing an episiotomy and for the first time I thought I might pass out (semi joking but not really).

MrChicagoRN, RN · Aug 30, 2016

You can actually work on a psych unit where you will not wipe anyone's butt ever! All you do is pass PO meds and give emergency IM injections. Its a lot of fun and you get to take violent patients down sometimes. You may want to look into behavioral health or psych nursing or Medical Detox nursing as an option and you can do it with no prior work experience and straight out of nursing school!
Best of luck!

If that's all my nurses did, they would be faced with the prospect of shape up or ship out.

A psychiatric nurse has to do assessments, recognize subtle changes in condition, including suicidal risk, form theraputic relationships, help them bear their pain, deescalate situations, decide which medication (and route) is the most appropriate, provide medication education, work through reluctance to accept medications. Plus be a participant in BP & diabetic management, blood draws, etc. Takedowns result in injuries to patients and other staff, so are avoided whenever possible.

Thrown feces, urine, furniture, or punches are all possibilities. Sometimes a butt may need to be wiped, urine soaked clothes changed; vomit spray from the patient, the hallway, or from you. I rarely wipe butts, but even as a manager, I've occasionally had to do so.

https://allnurses.com/psychiatric-nursing/psych-nursing-is-915410.html

Banana nut, BSN, RN, EMT-B · Aug 30, 2016

If that's all my nurses did, they would be faced with the prospect of shape up or ship out.
A psychiatric nurse has to do assessments, recognize subtle changes in condition, including suicidal risk, form theraputic relationships, help them bear their pain, deescalate situations, decide which medication (and route) is the most appropriate, provide medication education, work through reluctance to accept medications. Plus be a participant in BP & diabetic management, blood draws, etc. Takedowns result in injuries to patients and other staff, so are avoided whenever possible.
Thrown feces, urine, furniture, or punches are all possibilities. Sometimes a butt may need to be wiped, urine soaked clothes changed; vomit spray from the patient, the hallway, or from you. I rarely wipe butts, but even as a manager, I've occasionally had to do so.
https://allnurses.com/psychiatric-nursing/psych-nursing-is-915410.html

Im not saying it is easy all I'm saying is your assessment includes anxiety level and depression level. And you chart a lot! You are not doing head to toe assessment and you are not don't a single invasive procedure. Everyone is Walky talky or they are out of there before you can blink. I've worked acute psych for 5 years and it is not that hard of a job. It's actually a lot of fun and crazy. I dont glorify it. We help people get back to baseline and send em home. Then many times they come back again for another round. OP I think you should seriously look into it if you lIke ab. psych.

Ruby Vee, BSN · Aug 30, 2016

Im not saying it is easy all I'm saying is your assessment includes anxiety level and depression level. And you chart a lot! You are not doing head to toe assessment and you are not don't a single invasive procedure. Everyone is Walky talky or they are out of there before you can blink. I've worked acute psych for 5 years and it is not that hard of a job. It's actually a lot of fun and crazy. I dont glorify it. We help people get back to baseline and send em home. Then many times they come back again for another round. OP I think you should seriously look into it if you lIke ab. psych.

To get one of those psych jobs with minimal responsibility for toileting your patient, you first have to get through school, which will involve urine, stool, vomit, sputum, blood and other bodily fluids best left I contemplated.

Banana nut, BSN, RN, EMT-B · Aug 30, 2016

To get one of those psych jobs with minimal responsibility for toileting your patient, you first have to get through school, which will involve urine, stool, vomit, sputum, blood and other bodily fluids best left I contemplated.

This is very true! You will have to get through that hurdle.

la_chica_suerte85, BSN, RN · Aug 31, 2016

Although you may get some feces thrown at you (if my psych rotation was any indication) lol..

Yeah, and psych patients are totes known for their excellent hygiene, guys. I was at a state mental hospital for psych rotation and the smell of so many unwashed folks on a hot June morning as the glorious sun shines brightly (and so, so hotly) through the patients' bunks is....seriously, it's way worse than any crazy bodily fluid that can come at you. The hot wall of funk. Poop smell is normal and can tell you many things about a patient (C. diff, chemo, blood, lactulose???). Unclean people smell en masse is abnormal. It tells you many things, about many patients and none of those things are any thing I want to know. :woot:

Buyer beware, BSN · Sep 3, 2016

OP: Two words: Physical Therapy! If a patient should have an indiscretion, you have the option of calling an expert in on the problem usually referred to as the Registered Nurse. Adh Mor and problem solved.