Newnurse

As a recent grad working med surg, I sill occasionally get the gags with certain odors. What I do (when possible) is make an excuse to the patient that I need to get a supply or something and leave the room, take some deep breaths and mentally prepare myself-I CAN do this!-and go back in. This has worked for me. However, last week I was assisting a MD dress a particualy nasty infected foot ulcer, and there was no option of taking my 'get it together break' I thought I was going to pass out! I managed to get through it, keep my poker face, and the MD never knew I was so grossed out.I kept saying to myself throughout, "I am a proffessional nurse, and this is what I do". The funny thing is I never was grossed out in clinicals during nsg school. I think I was proboly concentrating so hard on what I was doing, and wether my instructor would walk in while I was doing it, that I forgot to be squimish! My point is, you can find your own coping mechanism for those 'squimish moments' and you'll do fine. Experienced nurses assure me we'll get used to just about anything with time. Good Luck!