Nursing without the "yukkies".

Chrislynn2003 · Oct 31, 2003

Let me see here, you don't want to deal with piss, crap, puke, or any other body fluid. Well, if you work on the floor or in ICU, you will see all of the above (bedpans, commodes, stool guiac, emesis basins, colostomies, illeostomies, foley's, wounds, pressure ulcers, trach's, NG tubes, chest tubes) You may even actually have to draw labs or put in an IV. Now how may I ask are you going to be able to deal with this as a nurse, let alone become a PA. Sometimes I just don' t understand why people go into nursing if they can't stand to see those things. That is the least of the nurses worries. Like others have said, I don't think that the medical field is right for someone like you.

Chrislynn2003 · Oct 31, 2003

Oh and I forgot to mention that everybody has yukkies. Everyone is human you know and if you are a caring nurse you wouldn't care about yukkies. If your patient is in danger you will not care about their yukkies getting on you. WAit until one day when you're a patient!

Chrislynn2003 · Oct 31, 2003

Originally posted by glopop11
I'm not worried about the yukkies, BUT, I was watching ER last night and had a hard time watching that woman burning! I had to turn away from the TV when they first showed her all burnt in the parking lot. I was able to watch later when they showed her in the hospital. So now I'm wondering? Am I cut out for nursing? This is the first time I've second guessed my decision to pursue nursing.

So whaddaya all think?

Well if you were in that situation, I;d hope that you wouldn't turn away, but instead have an instinct to go save the patient. I think that your instinct would be to go help the patient. Certaintly you may never see a burn patient in your nusrsing carreer, but any situation can arise as a nurse and you have to be prepared.

boopchick · Oct 31, 2003

Is ALL nursing involved in puke, crap, piss and anything else I forgot to mention?

I'm not sure that anyone with that much of an aversion to bodily fluids is cut out for nursing. :rolleyes:

ShelleyERgirl, LPN · Oct 31, 2003

Originally posted by AshleyKay
There's actually a joke among our classmates because I always seem to be around when someone is throwing up, and a friend of mine in class always catches someone when it's coming out the other end. I wasn't worried about "yuckies",but being thrown up on the first time did make me kind of go ok whoa that's someone's throw up all over me, but immediately you move into action and just want to help them out because they're miserable, you start cleaning them up and getting them what they need and completely forget that you're covered in puke. All you're worried about is getting them comfortable again. Then you go take care of your scrubs and it's no big deal. Other students in my class who were really concerned about being bothered by vomit and wiping butts got over their concerns really quickly. The problem is that, if you decide to work in an area simply because the patients don't throw up and aren't contageous, that doesn't say much about you as a nurse,...you should want to work in a certain area because it's what you're interested in. You're going to see things that are 100 times worse than puke no matter where you're at. I know I've barely scratched the surface on the things I've had to deal with in clinicals. However, you may be surprised that it doesn't bother you nearly as much as you think it will which is what happened to the two students in my class who really wanted to be nurses but were worried about how they'd handle certain things. They were fine after the first butt wiping and vomit party. Your empathy for the patient should override the "yuck" as a nurse. But you're really not going to find any areas of nursing where you don't deal with "yuckies."

Girl, I couldn't put it any better myself! As for risingsky or whatever, yeah sometimes bodily fluids ARE gross, but we need to remember that there is a HUMAN BEING from which those bodily fluids are coming from. Maybe you should consider another career choice. Good luck.

bellehill, RN · Nov 1, 2003

Originally posted by glopop11
I'm not worried about the yukkies, BUT, I was watching ER last night and had a hard time watching that woman burning! I had to turn away from the TV when they first showed her all burnt in the parking lot. I was able to watch later when they showed her in the hospital. So now I'm wondering? Am I cut out for nursing? This is the first time I've second guessed my decision to pursue nursing.

So whaddaya all think?

I think burns are the worst of the worst, I doubt you would turn away if you were the nurse. It is human nature to try and avoid trauma...as long as it doesn't affect your ability to care for your patients you will be okay.

SJSU_Mami · Nov 1, 2003

When people are SICK, yukkies come out. Nurses care for many SICK people. Hey, yukkies are fun. If that was my kid expunging fluids, I would want the nurse to act professional about it. Don't you ever get a cold or the runs? Maybe you should go into x-ray or sumthin. I don't know where there are nurses working with no yukkies. Maybe you should work with babies where yukkies come in a smaller amount.. Tiny diapers sure beat adult ones any day.. haha seriously though why did you pick nursing?

ItsyBitsySpider, BSN, RN · Nov 1, 2003

Lisa~ Regarding your story about your hubby's ex....why didn't HE clean it?

Hellllllo Nurse, BSN, RN · Nov 2, 2003

Depends on your definintion of "Yukkies".

To me, the "yukky" parts of nursing are the lack of respect, the way some docs and ADM treat us, nurses who "eat" each other and rediculous work/pt loads.

As for the BM, puke, wound drainage, etc?

Wear gloves and wash ya hands. No biggie.

Trauma Columnist · Nov 2, 2003

The "yukkie" part of nursing isn't bodily fluids - its not having enough nurses to adequately care for the patients! You can certainly continue in school, but when you come to clinicals...good luck...

angelac1978 · Nov 2, 2003

Originally posted by SJSU_Mami
Maybe you should go into x-ray or sumthin.

that wouldn't work. Rad techs have to administer barium enemas to patients and then clean up the mess that invariably happens. They also deal with pt's who are bloody, compound fractures, vomiting, feces, urine, you name it. I think no matter where you work in healthcare you are going to have to face this at some point.

A

LisaRN2B · Nov 2, 2003

Originally posted by ItsyBitsySpider
Lisa~ Regarding your story about your hubby's ex....why didn't HE clean it?

LOL

He was at work when this happened. He didn't find out the whole story 'til he got home from work that day. He is certainly not one to turn his back on anything that needs to be done.