oceanbreeze

Thanks to everyone who has replied, it's all be really helpful. Everyone is bringing up great points and different stories so it gives me a greater sense of how people handle things. It sounds like people get used to stuff. The context does seem like it would matter, like when you're busy doing your work you're probably not going to have as bad a reaction like on the subway - thanks for sharing that story elizabells! Sounds like menthol rub might help the ride home too! Maybe what I need is immersion therapy, I could go seeking out excretions so I can get used to them. Sort of like my own version of Fear Factor (or Squick Factor). :rotfl:

I have to clarify, I wasn't a hygienist at a dental office, I just did some basic assisting like on extractions and fillings. Still, there were gross things to encounter there and didn't have a problem with that. I actually don't gross out easily compared to the average population or I'd never even consider anything in a health field! As for the way tv shows glamorize nursing and medicine in general, I'm smart enough not to fall for that! I don't even watch ER (the NBC one) because even with my limited knowledge it never seemed that realistic to me. None of those shows, including the new Gray's Anatomy, are realistic. It's all neat and clean, the characters look well rested and made up and they have a lot of time on their hands. I love the show House but even I know doctors don't go into patients' apartments to look for clues to help with a diagnosis. And there's never any poop or pus or sputum. Fake blood is the only thing that looks good on camera I guess! And do people in hospitals really have that much sex with one another? Some shows make it look like the horniest place on the planet! This year I spent some time in the hospital with my dad and saw some of that nastiness with fluids. But I also saw how wonderful most of the people there were with him and our family - it really made an impact on me. I took care of him while he was at home with Hospice care until he passed and I could do everything but the poop. But given past experience I think I could toughen up and get used to a lot. I can handle a lot now, it's just some things squick me out, but based on that thread it seems a little common that everyone has something that gets them. But I also have to be realistic and choose something I'll enjoy and hopefully will not have me nauseated most of the time (could this be a new diet? :) ). If the "fluids and functions" are a big part maybe I need to look at the OR or some area where "f&f" is minimized. Maybe I could use some suggestions on nursing specialties or some allied field outside of nursing. OR is a possibility, as someone mentioned. Thanks

Sorry folks, I didn't see the "squick out" thread until after I started mine. I feel better knowing some people have things that just totally gross them out. I guess my question now is how well is it accepted on the job? It sounds like some of you are lucky enough to be able to trade to other nurses who don't mind that particular thing or you just go ahead and do it, gagging or whatever. So it's sort of accepted that everyone might have something they just squick out over?

This is my first post so please be gentle with me! I'm hoping some experienced nurses can give me some help here and I'm going to try not to sound silly. I have always loved medicine and biology and was pre-med way back when. I decided to go in a different direction but I've always regretted not getting into the healthcare field. I'm 40 and ready to go back to my first love but the question for me is what field. Nursing is such an important career and I really want to consider it along with radiology, lab careers, PA, etc. I'm about ruling out the lab because I like being around a variety of people. Nursing appeals to me but I honestly don't know if I can stomach all of it. I'm fine with blood and guts, in fact surgery completely fascinates me, but I would need to get used to feces, sputum, and probably some things I've never thought of before! My question is whether any of you had to get used to certain things or if some things were hard at first but you just had to get over it. Do all nurses just naturally have a tolerance for everything or did most of you have to learn to deal with something? Just for a little more background on where I'm coming from, I did some dental assisting to pay for college, I was a candystriper, I've done really basic procedures on pets (catheters, sub q fluids) and I'm really great at handling medical emergencies. I'm considering getting a job at one of the local hospitals so I can be in a clinical setting. I'm really working at getting a clue here so I figured I'd turn to the pros who see it all. Any advice you can share would be greatly appreciated.