Should I Be A Nurse?

[islander07]

I really like the thought of being a nurse (ex Helping people, salary, etc.) What I'm really concerned about is that I hate seeing sores and surgeries but I'm okay with blood. I "took" Allied II in highschool for like 2 weeks but I dropped out before they would go into a nursing home and do the sponge-bathe. I did not think I could handle seeing a naked old man. My teacher told me that it might because I have not really been exposed to those things so that's probably why I was extremely uncomfortable of the thought of seeing them naked. Of course I regret dropping that class because I could've been a CNA by now. So I need your advice if I should even consider taking classes to be a nurse in the future? Someone said, as soon as i'm exposed to it (to things like sores/sponge bathe/etc) i'll get used to it and it won't be a big deal anymore. I'm just really afraid I won't be able to handle those things. Please give me an advice.

[bill4745, RN]

I would suggest you become a CNA and work for a while to see if you really can adapt to all the sights, fluids, and odors nurses are exposed to. I would hate to see you put a lot into pre-reqs and then start clinicals and find out you can't handle it.

[PrincessAnnie]

I hate blood and sores too. I'm not really sure what to say about that.

As far as seeing old men naked,I used to feel strange about the nude people,but I didn't want to see naked women. I have worked in group homes awhile now and am very used to it. Once you do anything for awhile it won't be had anymore.

[santhony44, MSN, RN, NP]

I think that if you don't make some move in the direction of nursing, whether it be going the CNA route or whatever, you will always wish you had tried it.

Some things- most, in fact- do get better with exposure (and sometimes with age and life experience as well). Many nurses have things they continue to have a hard time with, but most of us function just fine anyway.

Don't give it up before you try just on what you (or other people) think you will have difficulty handling.

[Daytonite, BSN, RN]

Now, you see the way I rationalized all these kinds of fears is this. I figured that there had to be thousands and thousands of people before me who went into nursing school thinking the same things. If you don't believe me, read some of the threads on allnurses. Your concern is not uncommon. I figured that if thousands and thousands before me got through it all, why couldn't I? Fact is, after nursing school, if you don't want to work with blood and guts kinds of patients, you can find a job where you don't have to. The thing is that if you never challenge yourself, you'll never know if you can do it. You'll wonder for the rest of your life. You'll have a family, raise kids. Some parents will tell you they've gone through some hair-raising injuries with their kids that would make some of what you might think would be icky hospital stuff look like nothing. I also think that after seeing some of this stuff you get de-sensitized to it after a while. Some of it has to do with not knowing what is going on. Once you learn the underlying cause and reason of what is happening with a patient and why, the gore, while it can sometimes be a little gross, makes more sense and isn't as scary. Fear of the unknown can cripple you from doing what you know to be the right thing.

[DreamyEyes]

I would definitely try to become a CNA again. I'm in clinical right now for my CNA classes, and I didn't think I would be able to handle it either. Low and behold, I gave my first bed bath and did peri care today, including wiping them after they went to the bathroom. At first I was a little nervous, but I think that it's only going to get better with time. It's something you just learn to get used to. Good luck!