Scared Of Poop!!!!!!!!! Help!!!!!!!

Nurses New Nurse

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I'm starting my nursing program on Jan.25th, and i'm really, really excited. Ever since I can remember I've always dreamed about being a nurse. I'm a medical assitant at a cardiologist office and I love working hands on and I love my patients to the point that I can't wait until I become a RN and work at a hospital. During orientation we were told that our first practice cite will be at a nursing home :uhoh3:. One thing I'm actually not looking forward to doing is looking at poop!!! I could deal with blood, I can deal with pee, but i'm actually scared of my reaction to looking at poop and changing patients, I'm scared I might:barf01:

I've changed a childs diaper before and i've had no problem...but I have never changed a adults diaper nor smelled or been up close and personal to it. I'm so afraid of how i'm going to react to it...does anyone ever felt this way? Does anyone have some advice or suggestions??? Is it true that it's just like changing a child. I'm scared of the smell and how i would react to it. HELP!!!! i feel recidiculous...:trout:

Specializes in Obstetrics.
I suppose we ought to be glad that it's inevitably liquid, because it's terrible to imagine what a formed stool might do, expelled with that much force.

I literally just LOL'd at the imagery of that. Hm. oh my haha

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I am not a nurse (yet), but for any students who are afraid of poop, I recommend this: With what little free time you have, volunteer at a veterinary clinic, or a shelter that does minor surgeries. I know it sounds strange, but after working at a clinic for a LONG time, no sort of bodily fluid (vomit, poop, pus...Not even necrotic tissue) bothers me at all.

I found out recently while helping to care for an elderly relative (not a close relative, either) that poop doesn't phase me at all now!

I think it's simply because animals are animals, and it's not as uncomfortable as human bodily fluids but after so long you become immune to them, and then you realize they are pretty close to the same thing - just from different vehicles.

This is just a thought, and what works for me. I feel like it's a little easier than going straight in to people-poop.

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Specializes in Obstetrics.

It's a good idea, but I know that the animal thing doesn't work for me (I wish it did). Just because I've volunteered at a veterinary hospital and worked at the SPCA and volunteered for the SPCA + having 2-4 cats of my own and a few other animals and human poop (except for babies) still bothers me. Well, actually I don't know FOR SURE that it does, I just THINK it will. Even with the vomit, I used to gag when I'd clean up animals vomit but from doing it so often with the cats & dogs I don't even flinch from it anymore. However, when ever a person starts gagging, if they go, I'll go. But I was never bothered if I saw an animal throw up, but whenever a human is I always have to turn away.

However, here's what I'm assuming, like with cleaning the animal vomit, I'm SURE I will get used to it. Plus I think what a lot of people say is true, that when you know you need to take care of someone you learn to get past your physical reactions (and mental) and your caring personality truly overrules your personal feelings and you just become concerned with getting them (the patient) comfortable and okay. =)

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The first patient I dealt with had C-diff, and the smell was horrific. I almost threw up. The smell felt like it was on me, and I couldn't wait to go home and take a shower. It's part of being a nurse. This is what we have to do for patient's hygene. You just have to not think about it, hold your breath, and clean as much as possible. I think once you get used to it, it won't bother you as much.

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When i 1st started - it felt weird. (the stench seems to be a whole lot stronger wiping another person's bottom! vs my own )

Getting used to it - i wear a face mask when i can when wiping them. It helps to prevent the full works of the stench getting up your nasal passage and also prevents the person from looking at your expression.

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I am a newly graduated nurse. We did our first semester in the nursing home as well. I have been a nurses aide for years so poop didn't bother me much. The way I look at it, if you can do poop, everything else is easy. My least favorite thing to deal with is vomit. The sound of a person vomitting and the smell of vomit starts me retching... but that is life. I don't know if I will ever get over that physical reaction, but I know that I will just have to work through it.

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Specializes in Hospice, Rehab.

I have to wonder how the OP is doing with poop now of days :barf02:

It's funny, I got through school unfazed by anything other than vomited bile, but once in a while there still is the occasional new 'personal best', like my patient that filled a wash basin. Frankly I'm not sure how he sat on the thing, but no doubt it was quite an accomplishment. Queasy? Yeah, a little. C diff stools in any quantity bother me more; quality over quantity.

I guess having kids or dogs is really a good training ground for a nurse.

To all the new students, keep in mind it's only one part of the job, and if you allow yourself to think about what being in the patient's situation is like, your empathy takes over. You would move mountains to help them feel better. Or in this case, logs.

Sorry couldn't resist. But to my new nurse buddies, keep plugging, it's worth it.

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Hi there,

I'm a fourth semester nursing student (almost done!) and I am here to tell you that poop is important! You need to chart your poop! Poop can alert you to the existance of diseases and GI cancer. If you are by yourself on the floor (NA calls in sick) guess what? You need to provide TOTAL care to your patients. Imagine telling your supervisor your patient's are wallowing in feces because your afraid of poop! I think once you get in there you'll be fine. Try to avoid the C-Diff patients and good luck!

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just curious to know, do you have to bother with cleaning up poo if your a nurse working in the ER or ICU or perhaps a CRNA? I've recently been thinking about Nursing so I want to get an idea of what I'll be dealing with working in a hospital environment.

-thanks in advance

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Also, isn't that just beside nursing or where you have to do that type of stuff?

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Don't worry. It's not the worst thing you'll run into during nursing. I had every C-diff patient there was during my clinicals. After the first one, you get used to it.

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I guess having kids or dogs is really a good training ground for a nurse.

Or in this case, logs.

Have both and I almost spit my coffee through my nose with that last one....:D

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