I recently started (community) college for the first time at 41. I have gotten through the first year with very good grades. What I would really like to do is apply to the nursing school. I know that it is very difficult, but now that I have some schooling under my belt I am fairly certain that I can cut it academically.
My problem is that I am grossed out by everything. I share a large desk with a coworker and she flosses her teeth beside me after lunch and I have to turn away because it makes me feel sick. Snot grosses me out. An unflushed toilet…you get the idea.
I so want to go into nursing though. It’s a noble profession and so practical. There are so many directions to go in and it seems like there is much job security in the field. (I need something that will be fairly easy to find work in as I will be 43 or so when I graduate.)
My question is, can I get over this squeamishness by working around it? I do not have children but I have been babysitting since I was a child and still do frequently. For some reason vomit, poop, pee, snot etc. do not bother me when they come out of a child, even when they are projectiled at/on me so this gives me hope.
My plan is this: all of the nursing students have to go through the CNA program anyway to get into the school, so I thought I would take it this summer and that would definitely tell me if I will be able to gut this. If not, I will just head in a different direction. I would really like to hear your stories and opinions as well though.
Sorry this is so long. And hi, by the way! I have been hanging around here for years but mostly lurk (I’m shy). Thanks.
Not quite the same, but close - I work in research in an Ophthalmology department, and used to be kind of squeamish about eyes. Working here over time has made me not squeamish about them any longer. Just watching how comparatively tough eyes are when they’re being operated on - really, they’re much closer to leather in reality, compared to what most people think about them - made me realize this.
I find that a lot of people in other specialties, even surgeons and oncologists, tend to flinch when hearing about things like injections into the eye. (We numb the surface, do it into the white, and have you look diagonally away from where the needle will be going in.)
Oh, and recently I was in the anatomy lab when our residents were doing dissections. I asked about the numerous bottles of mint mouthwash around the lab. Sure enough, it’s to rinse with/sniff if they’re having issues with a particular smell.
So there are things that people can get used to dealing with, and at times, some things are bad enough that anyone would find it awful.
I’m not here to discourage you from nursing. It is great work and definitely important, and if it’s what you think you love, go for it.
But if you’re going into it because it’s healthcare work and “noble and practical” with “job security”, keep in mind that there are other allied health careers that exist with similar characteristics. Most hospital jobs in these fields have varied hours (night shifts, on-call) like nursing, as well, and are looking good in job projections - they’re all growing, so you’re likely to find work. Consider things like radiology, ultrasound, respiratory therapy, or my own personal favorite, medical laboratory science. I’m biased on that last one, since it’s my chosen career and I love it to death.
Those are careers that keep you a little more distanced from the patient but still an active participant in their care. For example, I found that blood and sputum and all the other nasties that can come out of a body are a lot less nauseating when they’re in little tubes and cups and not in the process of actually exiting a body.
Whatever you choose, good luck. I hope you can get over the squeamishness and find something you love.
Thanks for the reply. I worked for the Department of Ophthalmology at the University for two years and found it very interesting. I was a secretary for one of the doctors so no patient care was involved, but I did learn a lot through the dictations and patient charts and scheduling the surgeries (what to ask about at the eye bank when they had corneas to donate, etc.) It is a fascinating field to work in IMO.
For example, I found that blood and sputum and all the other nasties that can come out of a body are a lot less nauseating when they’re in little tubes and cups and not in the process of actually exiting a body.
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This is great advice, thanks. I’d be very interested to hear more about it. For instance, what degree would I work toward in order to to do this? And if you do this for a living, what is your typical workday like?
I’m in pharmacy school, going to graduate in about 6 months. I always liked the idea of healthcare, but never liked the whole body fluid thing, so this worked out for me. I don’t know how much undergrad you have completed, but the oldest person in my class is 45 years old (and she’s 6 months from graduating too), so it is still something to look at.
Oh, Pharmacy school is expensive, but once we graduate, we can technically pay back our student loans in about 2 years.