I'm getting ready to go into a BSN program in the fall of '04, and am having some second thoughts. I had originally planned to become an RT (radiology tech), but switched to RN because I would ultimately like to be a Physician's Assistant or Nurse Practitioner, and the BSN seems like a much better route.
What I'm wondering is, are there areas of nursing I can get into that are relatively "clean"? I'm not squeamish in the sense that I pass out easily, nor would I be incapacitated by death issues. I am compassionate and think in many ways I would enjoy the "helping people" aspect of nursing. However, I am a little concerned about how happy I would be constantly dealing with feces, urine, severe injuries and so forth. While I am a pretty compassionate person, I'm also not sure about entering a career where I had to deal with that every day.
I guess my question is, are there specialized flavors of nursing that I can get into where I would have the option of dealing with a somewhat cleaner working environment? Or is that sort of thing so unavoidable in nursing that I need to consider another career path altogether? I keep hearing that nursing is very diverse and there are a lot of different ways you can go, so I'm hoping this I can find a role in which I would be happy.
Good idea to be a CNA first if you are sure you want to try nursing. Just a question...don't you think that PA's or NP's also see "gross and disgusting" things sometimes? We had open heart surgeons who worked w/ PA's and guess who got to debride a lot of the foul looking and smelling infected leg and chest wounds and not to mention harvesting the saphenous veins. I've had pt's vomit in radiology "all over the place"
without me there to clean it up. The radiologist didn't clean it up, so guess who did?
Hate to sound nasty, but are you taken w/ the prestige of the NP/PA title and see yourself as "too good" or "too smart" to be a bedside care-giver? If so, and your really want to help people consider social work or psychology, maybe that's more your speed. Please keep in mind there's often a waiting list to get into nursing schools these days because of faculty shortages, please don't take up a spot that could go to someone more willing to deal w/ the good and bad of this profession.
I don't think any of us started out LIKING gross stuff:eek: but you do get desensitized pretty quickly. Do you have a sense of humor??? It goes a looooong way, LOL. Good luck. I'm a BSN who readily admits that alot of the BS stands for you know what and I'm still here at the (sometimes gross ) bedside after 24 yrs and wouldn't have it any differently
Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.
as said above, how do you plan to make it through your clinical assignments?
you will have to wipe butts, do wound dressing changes, suction airways, start IV"s, etc. THIS ALL NURSING STUDENTS DO, BSN/ADN/DIPLOMA.
WHEN and IF you graduate, you may THEN find a non-bedside nursing job. Til then, be prepared to deal with this area of nursing. It's part and parcel of the job.
Whatever you decide to do enjoy life! There is no shame in becoming a radiology tech of course it is not anywhere near as good as being nurse:D [/b]
I really hope this comment was meant to be tongue in cheek. If not, this attitude is really not necessary and the root of a lot of the in-fighting between some hospital departments.
Now, to the OP, if you think that all RT's do is x-ray bones and don't deal with bodily fluids, then you really need to shadow a tech. One of the most routine exams done in the department is the barium enema study, and guess who administers the barium? the RT, who also cleans the mess up afterwards. You will also do exams on trauma patients who are all bloody with God knows what wrong with them. We had to do a film study last week on a guy who had a knife stuck in his face. You will still deal with vomit, urine, feces and the occassional psych pt who takes a swing at you or a bite out of your arm. To be quite honest, I don't think there is an area in healthcare where you don't deal with bodily fluids/functions on a daily basis (unless you go into mgmt). Even PA's get puked on!
Specializes in Gen Surg, Peds, family med, geriatrics.
You mean there's such a thing as "clean" nursing?? :chuckle I work in a family practice office and there's lots and lots of "ewwww" to go around....and it's not even a hospital.
To be honest the only job that I can think of that is "clean" ie no gross stuff like sights, smells and unidentifiable matter that goes crunch or worse sticks to you when you touch it is working in a call centre. Here in Ontario we have a service called "Telehealth Ontario" that is staffed by nurses that field calls all day and dole out medical advice.
Aside from that, if you have any patient contact at all you're going to have to deal with gross sooner or later.
There was some 'attitude' in at least one of the remarks.
I am not trying to start anything with anyone- it's just my opinion, and I respect everyone elses.
I don't see anything wrong with someone wanting to have 'more letters' after their name- if they do their job properly. Let's face it, some people are just more ambitious than others..ehats so wrong with that?
I am also going for my BSN, because I plan to go for my Master'sas soon as I have the experience I need.
But I don't want to be a nurse administrator right out of school-telling more experienced nurses how to do their job or whatever?
No thanks.
But I understand that all the 'dirty' stuff is apart of a nurses job-i know i have to do it- i can do it
" but switched to RN because I would ultimately like to be a Physician's Assistant or Nurse Practitioner,"
Well if your goal is to be a PA, just go into a PA program and skip the nursing school all together. It would not be an efficient use of your time or money.
Otherwise, ALL the suggestions offered above, including PA, NP, and nursing school itself, involve your coming into intimate contact with things that you don't like. I don't see where you have much choice unless you go back to being a radiology tech (where there will still be at least a little of the "fluids problem.")
Did a few shifts in the ER this summer, and believe it or not, the PA's were helping CNA's with cleaning up incontinent pts., holding emesis basins, and mopping floors.
Looks like everyone can have their chance at the gross stuff no matter what the job title is.
My comment last night was a bit harsh in the delivery, but I still agree with it. No matter what you do, whether it be telehealth or admin or Employee health or School nursing, you need a solid nursing foundation. Gosh, I don't love urine and poop but I just got used to it and it's part of being and working with human beings. I hope you find your niche, but just consider it carefully, ok?
Actually the areas of nursing I referred him/her to don't require any bedside nursing experience. That's why I brought them up.
As for the burn part I was referring to the reply from sharann. But maybe it wasn't as abrupt as I first start. Don't be so sensitive.
I'm just expressing my opinion to the original poster.
I guess it's a matter of perception. Your perception that he was getting burned and that I'm being sensitive. I see neither. But that's o.k., just tell me to butt out of your conversation with the op. and I'll be o.k. :) I didn't make it to over 3000 posts by being sensitive.
Anyway, those jobs that like drug rep and eye surgery clinicis are very hard to get, so getting them fresh out of nursing school might be a bit unrealistic. But yes, there are clean jobs out there.
If I couldn't stand it, I would go the route of a non-nursing degree and then a PA degree.
(On an unrelated topic, I had a coworker go after a drug rep job and he said he was competing with MDs???? Sounds strange to me.)
Did a few shifts in the ER this summer, and believe it or not, the PA's were helping CNA's with cleaning up incontinent pts., holding emesis basins, and mopping floors.
Looks like everyone can have their chance at the gross stuff no matter what the job title is.
Perhaps I need to clarify. First off, I appreciate the honesty. Not being in the medical field now, I am coming from a position of ignorance, which is why I started the post to begin with...to get answers.
I guess what I need is a sense of the job as a whole. How often does one encounter these really gross situations? I know I can do whatever I need to do. If I have to deal with something less than desirable every couple of days, or a couple times a week, no big deal. But if I going to be putting on hip waders to go to work, I need to look elsewhere because, while I could do it, I'm not going to be happy putting myself in a situation where I have to do it constantly.
It has been my opinion that this kind of thing was occasional in nursing. Reading some of the horror stories here makes me think otherwise.
If someone could provide a sense of perspective, please?
and I'm still here at the (sometimes gross ) bedside after 24 yrs and wouldn't have it any differently 
imenid37
1,804 Posts
Good idea to be a CNA first if you are sure you want to try nursing. Just a question...don't you think that PA's or NP's also see "gross and disgusting" things sometimes? We had open heart surgeons who worked w/ PA's and guess who got to debride a lot of the foul looking and smelling infected leg and chest wounds and not to mention harvesting the saphenous veins. I've had pt's vomit in radiology "all over the place"
without me there to clean it up. The radiologist didn't clean it up, so guess who did?
Hate to sound nasty, but are you taken w/ the prestige of the NP/PA title and see yourself as "too good" or "too smart" to be a bedside care-giver? If so, and your really want to help people consider social work or psychology, maybe that's more your speed. Please keep in mind there's often a waiting list to get into nursing schools these days because of faculty shortages, please don't take up a spot that could go to someone more willing to deal w/ the good and bad of this profession.