Nurses with self harm scars

Farawyn · Jan 21, 2016

I hope you have gotten help, and have good support.

Concentrate on school right now. Try to cover up the scars for clinical. Take it one step at a time. Best of luck to you!

CelticGoddess, BSN, RN · Jan 21, 2016

Don't stress about it. Don't discuss it with anyone you aren't comfortable discussing it with. And if the scars are on your lower arms, wear long sleeves if it makes you feel better. I have a few friends who are professionals and it hasn't held them back at all. Don't worry about it, and just remember to take care of yourself.

amzyRN · Jan 21, 2016

Long sleeves. Good self care. People self harm in many different ways; some drink too much on the weekends. But mental health issues are heavily stigmatized and I would keep that stuff a secret. Find better outlets to cope with things. Self harm is very serious and nursing is a high stress gig. You wouldn't want it to exacerbate your issues. Employers will discriminate against you, so please stop scarring your body and definitely hide it. Also, you might find other areas of nursing more interesting, so don't pigeonhole yourself into mental health nursing just because you've had psyche issues.

nutella, MSN, RN · Jan 21, 2016

Besides working on better coping mechanism and being self-aware you can do a couple of things to avoid being judged. If you are allowed to wear 3/4 or long sleeves under your scrub I recommend you do that. That way people do not even ask. I have known health care professionals who do that but I also know some who come with scars visible. While there is nothing wrong with that per se, other people may judge you. Avoid talking about your mental health problems or coping under all circumstances. That is something you want to save for your therapist or perhaps a very good friend. It is not like nurses or doctors would not judge - they do. If somebody was to see scars and asks say something like "oh that if from an old accident" and smile.

elkpark · Jan 21, 2016

I just finished reading your other thread about how you are also struggling daily with an eating disorder. It's not out of the realm of possibility that you could be successful in psychiatric nursing, but it's imperative (in order for that to happen) that you be managing your own issues successfully and not allowing them to spill over into your work. It sounds like all of this is pretty fresh for you (cutting within the last year, eating issues that are a daily issue).

Some people are attracted to working in psych because, on some level, they are looking for help with their own issues. That scenario almost always turns out badly. Nurses come to work to help other people with their issues, not get our own needs met. There are lots of nurses with psychiatric issues who intentionally avoid working in psychiatric nursing, because the specialty just involves too many triggers and reminders for them, and "cuts too close to the bone." Some nurses with psychiatric history do v. well working in psychiatric settings -- but, again, they are typically people who have been stable for a long time, and are vigilant about monitoring and dealing with their own issues.

I would encourage you to not proceed through school with a focus on working in psychiatric nursing. There are lots of different specialty areas, and many different roles and career paths in nursing, most of which most people are unaware of until they are in nursing (or, at least, nursing school). Be open to the wide range of exposures you will have in school. You may find that something else interests you more professionally by the time you finish school (many of us have had that experience). You may decide that you are most interested in psych. Have you had your psych rotation in school yet? Psychiatric nursing, in daily practice, is a lot different from what many people are thinking of when they are thinking they're interested in working in psych.

I've taught psych nursing in a few different programs over the years, and my experience has been that there are always a few students who are particularly interested and can't wait for that rotation because they're sure that's want they want to do, and a few students who are particularly dreading it (more than the majority of other students who just aren't looking forward to it at all). (I had one student who was dreading it so much that she spent the entire previous semester seriously, sincerely trying to convince the faculty/administration that she shouldn't have to take the course.) It has usually turned out that the students who were so convinced up front that this was their special interest either found they weren't that interested when they experienced it in real life (or just did really badly in the rotation), and the students who ended up enjoying it the most, and/or showing the most aptitude over the course of the rotation, were often the students who had been dreading it the most up front.

I hope that you are getting some good professional help and support. Nursing school is v. stressful and demanding. Best wishes for your journey!

Neural · Jan 21, 2016

More and more nurses are wearing long sleeves to cover tattoos nowadays.

No one will think anything of it.

Farawyn · Jan 21, 2016

More and more nurses are wearing long sleeves to cover tattoos nowadays.
No one will think anything of it.

Or get a tattoo to cover the cutting.

flying_ace2 · Jan 21, 2016

please stop scarring your body and definitely hide it.

It is absolutely, 100% not as easy as just stopping. I am speaking from experience as a person who has struggled with this issue in the past. The only - only - thing that has helped, for me, was to find an amazing therapist to help me work through all the bs that's in my head. I still see her to this day, and I have an amazing, supportive husband who doesn't give a damn that I have the scars (he cares about the reason I have them, not the fact that they actually exist on my body if that makes sense). If people ask you about them, just tell them it's none of their business, because it's not. I usually go the "I'd rather not talk about that" route, or something along that line. You don't need to justify yourself or your past actions to people who have no earthly idea what you're talking about or what you're struggling with. It really, truly helps to talk to a therapist about it though.......

NOADLS · Jan 22, 2016

If you get a tattoo, some places might ask you to cover it. If the area of scarring is too large, don't even bother with a tattoo. I've seen some people with tattoos over scarring and it is still evident. Whether you cross the street or go down the river, even the untrained eye can tell where you are heading.

Long sleeves is the answer. Hide them and do not disclose. You will be discriminated against.

Not by me (it is my personal belief that crazy girls are much better in bed), but there will be managers that will turn you away for it.

dirtyhippiegirl, BSN, RN · Jan 22, 2016

I have old SI scars on my arms but mine are obviously old. You definitely need to cover up new scars. I was asked to cover my arms during my psych rotation in nursing school as well.

I have had a couple of jobs as a nurse. I always covered my arms during the interview process but eventually it just gets weird and unhygenic to wear long sleeves all the time. People ask and I answer truthfully. I've talked with coworkers who have kids who cut. But that's coming from a place of nearly a decade SI-free. Hopefully you are in therapy and working on your underlying issues. I've found cutting to be like my alcoholism in that it sneaks into your thoughts in insidious ways.

flying_ace2 · Jan 22, 2016

Long sleeves is the answer. Hide them and do not disclose. You will be discriminated against.
(it is my personal belief that crazy girls are much better in bed)

The first part is absolutely true.

The second part literally made me snort hot coffee outta my nose and onto my keyboard. Thanks a lot! :cheeky: