any nurses on here?

[Anonymous]

I am thinking about going to nursing school but I kind of have a weak stomach. What is the worst thing you have to do? Or what are the job duties of a nurse?

[unspecified42]

I don't know if I could do my job with a weak stomach, but I'm in the ER so it's not exactly the least gross

My job involves things like  people vomiting blood all over themselves, digging through a stranger's labia to put in a foley when you can smell rotten crotch from surrounding rooms because it's so strong. Wiping liquid poop off your shoes because it's everywhere, suctioning vomit out of an ET tube, packing rotten wounds, assisting with abscess drainages, starting IVs, putting an NG tube down someone's nose while they vomit stomach contents that smell like feces because of an SBO. Inserting a rectal tubes, cleaning dead bodies. 

There are lots of jobs in nursing that don't involve those things (working in an office, or dialysis, etc), but there's a good chance you'll have to deal with a lot of it at some point during school.

Your job duties will vary depending on what you go into. As an ER nurse I assess patients and then carry out treatments. We pass medications, do all aspects of patient care, and assist the physicians with procedures.

[ceejay1_iz_back]

BUMP!

[november117]

Couldn't have said it better myself. One of the times I was most grossed out was when a patient was doimg a breathing treatment through the pipe and not the mask and she coughed as I was leaning over to check her blood pressure and this giant was of phlegm hit me right in the eye. I've been farted on in my face a lot too while bathing patients who couldn't bathe themselves. Ya roll them over and out it comes.

Quoting unspecified42:

I don't know if I could do my job with a weak stomach, but I'm in the ER so it's not exactly the least gross

My job involves things like  people vomiting blood all over themselves, digging through a stranger's labia to put in a foley when you can smell rotten crotch from surrounding rooms because it's so strong. Wiping liquid poop off your shoes because it's everywhere, suctioning vomit out of an ET tube, packing rotten wounds, assisting with abscess drainages, starting IVs, putting an NG tube down someone's nose while they vomit stomach contents that smell like feces because of an SBO. Inserting a rectal tubes, cleaning dead bodies. 

There are lots of jobs in nursing that don't involve those things (working in an office, or dialysis, etc), but there's a good chance you'll have to deal with a lot of it at some point during school.

Your job duties will vary depending on what you go into. As an ER nurse I assess patients and then carry out treatments. We pass medications, do all aspects of patient care, and assist the physicians with procedures.

[Anonymous - Original Poster]

Yeah I wouldn't be able to handle that. I was only really thinking about nursing school because it seems to be the only thing that is hiring around here. I have a lot of friends that have finished should and are still unemployed or are working back in retail or food.

Quoting unspecified42:

I don't know if I could do my job with a weak stomach, but I'm in the ER so it's not exactly the least gross

My job involves things like  people vomiting blood all over themselves, digging through a stranger's labia to put in a foley when you can smell rotten crotch from surrounding rooms because it's so strong. Wiping liquid poop off your shoes because it's everywhere, suctioning vomit out of an ET tube, packing rotten wounds, assisting with abscess drainages, starting IVs, putting an NG tube down someone's nose while they vomit stomach contents that smell like feces because of an SBO. Inserting a rectal tubes, cleaning dead bodies. 

There are lots of jobs in nursing that don't involve those things (working in an office, or dialysis, etc), but there's a good chance you'll have to deal with a lot of it at some point during school.

Your job duties will vary depending on what you go into. As an ER nurse I assess patients and then carry out treatments. We pass medications, do all aspects of patient care, and assist the physicians with procedures.