The Ugly Side of Nursing!

[Francesca_H]

Hello all!

My name is Francesca [Frankie], and I'm really having trouble deciding if nursing is the career for me. For YEARS, I've dreamt about one day working as a nurse, and my ambitions soared after I started volunteering at my local pediatric hospital. I absolutely LOVE the environment and a few years ago I participated in the Nursing Camp that same hospital offers for young adolescents who want to pursue nursing.

The camp was a week long and each day we would be in a different unit of the hospital [Psych, NICU, PICU, Cardio Cath Lab, and OR for example]. It was such a great experience to really see what happened during the day in a specific area, but I fell in love with the operating room. I got to stand in on a few surgeries, and it changed my life.

I'm asking for help and advice because for a while I was contemplating just becoming a Surgical Technician so I could immediately start working in an OR and help surgeons. I sort of pushed aside my nursing goal because I had the idea that a Surgical Tech would be easier for me and require a lot less schooling. But then I compared salaries and how limited the technician job is and it made me change my mind. I also learned that the Surgical Techs at the hospital I volunteer at [and someday hope to work at!] only prepare the room for the surgery, then they leave. I want to actually be involved, and that turned me off that career even more.

My main issue is I'm nervous for the clinical work, specifically vomit and fecal matter! Blood I can handle, no sweat. But I'm scared that I'll be in over my head and not be able to handle the cleaning/changing of patients, which saddens and worries me. I keep reading posts that many people eventually get over the unpleasant sights and smells, but any other advice or personal experience would be GREATLY appreciated!

Can you wear a mask or something when cleaning or dealing with vomit and poop? Just curious.

Also, when beginning how long does it typically take to specialize in something, like becoming a surgical nurse. I have to get in that OR eventually! If anyone could explain the process to me, that'd be AWESOME!

Sorry for such a long post! Any feedback or comments would be extremely helpful!

[windmill182]

Have you ever been in a situation dealing with feces or vomit? Im sure everyone is pretty apprehensive with that type of thing if they have never dealt with it. Have you considered becoming a CNA? It might be a cost effective way to answer your question of whether you can handle bedside care or not. You might be surprised that it really isn't that bad. I was surprised to learn that urine actually grossed me out more than anything. However, you deal and find ways to handle it. You just have to remind yourself that your helping someone, and you could be in the same position as the patient someday, so you have to be sensitive to their needs. (BTW I never saw anyone wearing a mask.)

[ImThatGuy, BSN, RN]

Eh, you'll get used to it. The pus-filled genital sores are what I think is gross. Well, add in empty eye sockets. That dark, empty hole is pretty damn weird.

[OB-nurse2013, BSN, RN]

Feces, vomit, urine...hmmmm i'm a very new nursing student but was quite the partier and am now a mother of two lil boys so I've been puked little hot dog pieces on, pooped on, and held up many a friends head back in the day so I don't think I'll have too hard a time with that stuff..but I haven't seen it but I had a hard time looking at the pucture of a man with rectal prolapse..some reason that just really bothered me. I do think if it was person in real life I would be okay because I would see the person.

[Cls62011]

I would agree that working as a CNA would deffinetly determine if you'd be able to handle "the ugly side of nursing" :-). To tell you the truth, before I became a CNA and now soon to graduate RN, I could not even imagine being able to handle those things but somehow you just do it. If there's a smell you can't handle (more likely in the career of nursing there will be) just intermittantly hold ur breath and work fast (know though that this won't work in all cases)- that's what I do anyway and have seen others do it as well. I don't like cleaning up vomit or stool but I certainly don't want my patient sitting in it/wearing it either.

[kgh31386, BSN, MSN, RN]

You can wear a mask if you want, smells will be smells. Infected wounds are worse than poop sometimes....remember. Everybody poops :) And to those who think, I'll just work ICU, L&D, or OR. You clean patients those places, promise you that. It's tougher in ICU when they're hooked up with all their drips, tubes, etc. literally, one wrong turn and the patient can go bad. I've seen it happen...an MA was turning one of my patients, next thing I know monitor room calls me saying the patient is aystole. We coded them for 20 minutes before we got a rhythm back. But I love what I do, I work 3 days a week, sometimes off 5 days in a row. Try it out, you only live once

[lemidora]

I'm not sure about sights, but putting a little bit of vaporub under your nose takes care of the smells! Got me through cadaver lab at least...

[llg, PhD, RN]

It's sad ...but when I saw the title of this thread, body fluids etc. weren't what I thought. They are not the "ugliest" things in nursing.

[Turd Ferguson]

If you want to go into nursing and be involved in the operating room, look at being a "First Assistant RN"... it's an advanced RN role where you can actually manipulate tissue during surgery

[Francesca_H]

It's sad ...but when I saw the title of this thread, body fluids etc. weren't what I thought. They are not the "ugliest" things in nursing.

I completely understand body fluids aren't the only "ugly side" of nursing, and they may seem totally minor compared to various other things, but for me its personal hang up I've had basically my whole life.

[JROregon, ASN, BSN, RN]

I don't much like the smell of c-diff but neither do most healthcare workers or patients. Also don't like the smell of food when it's been sitting in one of those tray holders, blechh! If a patient is actively vomiting, you'll want gown, gloves, mask and eye protection. If you have a potentially nauseated patient, keep the barf containers accessible and ASK the patient to tell you when he/she feels like it's time to lose their lunch.

[Mandychelle79, ASN, RN]

Ive worked in healthcare for 8 yrs and I still at times gag when someone pukes or has a bm. My co-workers usually look at me ask if im ok or if i need them to do it while I do something else. I can for the most part take some deep breaths and get back into control.