SMELLS

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Im about to start nursing and I right now I cant handle vomit or other bodily fluid smells or sounds...I keep telling myself that I will get used to it like I got used to it working at the vet clinic. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to handle this...Im not going to let this stop me from achieving my goal! So any ideas will help!!!

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Specializes in student; help!.

I couldn't handle it either. Then I had kids. You'll get over it because you have to.

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Thats what my aunt(shes a nurse) said Thanks!

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Specializes in Trauma, Teaching.

I chew on the side of my tongue, the pain is a distraction enough to get through things.:uhoh3:

Try getting some type of oil with a scent you like, spearmint or clove, etc. Smear a tiny bit just under your nose before going into the room, keep your mouth closed as much as possible (no mouth breathing, only talking, :lol2:).

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JBUDD-LOL!! Ill try the no mouth breathing and spearmint trick...but the tongue thing ouch!!but Ill keep it in mind:p if all else fails!!!

Thank YOU!!!:yeah:

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Smell it, learn it, love it.

I use smell as a daily assessment tool. Just the other day to check placement of an NG tube I aspirated some fluid and couldn't tell if it was gastric fluid by the looks so had to smell it to see if I could smell the acid. UTIs also tend to have a certain smell. GI bleeds have a special smell too.

Point is, odor is an important assessment tool. Nummers.

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Asystole RN- Thanks! I will definitley try my hardest to do that!

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Reminds me of a funny story.

Several weeks ago I was doing rounds through the various Nursing stations, when from down the hall I hear yelling (03:00 mind you) "Hey ******, we need you now! STAT!" from a very frantic Respiratory Tech.

As I look towards the bellowing I see RTs running down the hall, another RT grabbing a protective gown and mask and the RN quickly backing out of the room backwards with a terrified look on her face as she hugs the hallway hall opposite the patient's room.

I calmly collect myself, drop my safety glasses over my eyes, don my gloves I keep in my pocket, take a deep breath and say to myself, "Ok...it's go time."

I run down the hall to hear that the patient is projectile vomiting copious amounts of blood. I step into the room to find the wall opposite the patient sprayed in a fine red mist. The patient and gown soaked in bright red like a horror movie.

I yell at the Nurse to get her butt back in the room and start telling me about the patient. Everything she tells me doesn't make sense to what I am seeing so I dig a bit deeper...

I take my hand and scoop a puddle of clotted red matter that collected on the sides of the bed and smell...yup...just as I suspected...it's confirmed.

guaifenesin, Nutren, and hydrochloric acid.

Another life saved.

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WOW!!!!!!!!:yeah: that's awesome!!!!! That's what I want as a career I want that suspense that feeling that you saved someone's life! Thats why Im praying that I can do this nursing school and nothing will stand in my way!! Sounds like your an amazing nurse!!:bow:

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WOW!!!!!!!!:yeah: that's awesome!!!!! That's what I want as a career I want that suspense that feeling that you saved someone's life! Thats why Im praying that I can do this nursing school and nothing will stand in my way!! Sounds like your an amazing nurse!!:bow:

Smelling the difference between blood and a cocktail of cough medicine, Ensure, and stomach acid is far from amazing but it sure was exciting...and very embarrassing for the RTs and the RN lol, but thank you.

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I know how you feel! My baby caught a stomach bug a few weeks ago. I of course caught it the day after her and then it just spread like wildfire at our house. It was an entire week of one person after another with non stop projectile vomiting and diarrhea in massive proportions!!! The first day I couldn't stand the smells and kept gagging every time I had to clean up vomit. I seriously started doubting that I would ever get through nursing school but I have to tell you after a week I was so over it. I just kept trying to remind myself over and over how awful this was for my family members and that they needed me. I would leave the room for a second if I had to or turned around if I absolutely couldn't help gagging so they wouldn't see me but by the end of the week it was a lot easier. I imagine it's the same in nursing school. We are going to be faced with a lot of difficult things but over time it'll come natural to us. At least I hope it will ;)

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Specializes in SNU/SNF/MedSurg, SPCU Ortho/Neuro/Spine.

Vicks it's all I have to say

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