Nursemom Confessions Part 2-We All Have That ONE Thing
Everyone thinks that us nurses are some type of superheroes with iron stomachs (and iron bladders), who can get past any amount of human yuck that our patients bring our way. This is not the case. Ask any nurse you know (go, on I dare you) what that one thing that makes them dry heave is. I guarantee there is one. What you may not know is that nurses (medical staff in general) will swap favors to avoid their one thing.
For some nurses this is blood, and they have to get past it some in clinicals and then go into a specialty that requires very little contact-say education or research. For some this is vomit, though these nurses are likely not mamas too. For many this is sputum (think thick loogey mucus), or even the sound of it (no tracheotomy suctioning for these nurses). For some it is certain procedures: ear lavages, toenail removals, abscesses (and you will always have the nurses who LOVE these too). When I worked in urgent care as a new nurse, cleaning out the ears grossed me out so I was more than happy to trade with an "I'll room the next kid that comes in!" Truly. Some nurses HATE working with pediatric patients. MINE.
Nurses are in this field because they (we) care deeply about helping others. We know how to keep a poker face well in the face of some nasty human stuff, and we do so because all patients deserve respect and dignity, and we know it is (usually) not the patient's fault...but I am here to confess it does not mean that we don't get pretty darn grossed out sometimes.
I had been an RN for all of about 1 month when I encountered an evening closing shift at urgent care that made me cringe. I was literally tasked with the job of ROYAL BUTT CHEEK SPREADER. Okay, I may have added the royal. There was a very large, older woman with a pretty gnarly rash in her butt crack that the physician had me hold her cheeks apart so medicine could be applied. In these moments that seemed to stretch forever, I had two thoughts. 1)I had NO idea that butt cheek holding was an intense, sweat dripping from my forehead, workout, and 2) I went to school for this??
I prided myself on not getting grossed out too easily. You see a lot in a short time in urgent care: baptism by fire. I even had a male patient with scabies who wanted me to examine his "gooch"...still not entirely sure what this meant but I had a good idea, and I replied "the doctor will take a look soon." It was only about 3, maybe 4 months, into my nursing career that I met my match. Flaky skin. I was tasked with wrapping not one, but two swollen, diabetic feet that the skin flaked off of like I was in a human created blizzard. Skin storm. Thankfully I was looking down at the floor, and was kneeling on the floor, and my poor patient could not see me literally dry heaving as quietly as I could before I continued. I envisioned all the skin particles that I was now wearing-skin that was not mine. How much was I inhaling? Surely that isn't good for you! Skin is my nemesis. I just CAN'T. I mean, I did...but please no.
Friends, what's your one thing?
For some nurses this is blood, and they have to get past it some in clinicals and then go into a specialty that requires very little contact-say education or research. For some this is vomit, though these nurses are likely not mamas too. For many this is sputum (think thick loogey mucus), or even the sound of it (no tracheotomy suctioning for these nurses). For some it is certain procedures: ear lavages, toenail removals, abscesses (and you will always have the nurses who LOVE these too). When I worked in urgent care as a new nurse, cleaning out the ears grossed me out so I was more than happy to trade with an "I'll room the next kid that comes in!" Truly. Some nurses HATE working with pediatric patients. MINE.
Nurses are in this field because they (we) care deeply about helping others. We know how to keep a poker face well in the face of some nasty human stuff, and we do so because all patients deserve respect and dignity, and we know it is (usually) not the patient's fault...but I am here to confess it does not mean that we don't get pretty darn grossed out sometimes.
I had been an RN for all of about 1 month when I encountered an evening closing shift at urgent care that made me cringe. I was literally tasked with the job of ROYAL BUTT CHEEK SPREADER. Okay, I may have added the royal. There was a very large, older woman with a pretty gnarly rash in her butt crack that the physician had me hold her cheeks apart so medicine could be applied. In these moments that seemed to stretch forever, I had two thoughts. 1)I had NO idea that butt cheek holding was an intense, sweat dripping from my forehead, workout, and 2) I went to school for this??
I prided myself on not getting grossed out too easily. You see a lot in a short time in urgent care: baptism by fire. I even had a male patient with scabies who wanted me to examine his "gooch"...still not entirely sure what this meant but I had a good idea, and I replied "the doctor will take a look soon." It was only about 3, maybe 4 months, into my nursing career that I met my match. Flaky skin. I was tasked with wrapping not one, but two swollen, diabetic feet that the skin flaked off of like I was in a human created blizzard. Skin storm. Thankfully I was looking down at the floor, and was kneeling on the floor, and my poor patient could not see me literally dry heaving as quietly as I could before I continued. I envisioned all the skin particles that I was now wearing-skin that was not mine. How much was I inhaling? Surely that isn't good for you! Skin is my nemesis. I just CAN'T. I mean, I did...but please no.
Friends, what's your one thing?
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