Doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals, is being squeamish something you get over?

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I've always wanted to be a children's nurse and I have decided to apply. However, one thing that I'm a little worried about is that I can be squeamish at times, and when I see someone hurt I get a tingly feeling in the same area of my body and pins and needles rush down me. It's more of an issue with family members than strangers, and I've been able to improve on this since doing a first aid course and kind of learning to detach from how the person must feel and focus more on what I should to do - if that makes sense. To me, being squeamish seems like a natural response to seeing someone hurt, and that it can be something that you become desensitised to as a medical professional?

I also wonder how do medical professionals avoid getting ill all the time? If you're dealing with children with vomiting and diarrhoea, or the flu or other infectious diseases? Obviously you would use strict hygiene measures and infection control but is it common for medical professionals to get ill a lot, or does their immune system adapt?

I've been a nurse for over 10 years, I don't really catch anything. Immune system of a rhino.

Personally, I don't think nursing is the career for squeamish people. Maybe its easier with children's nursing but some of the things I've seen as an adult nurse is not for the faint hearted. I've always loved gore, watch pimple popping videos for fun and I'm fascinated by gruesome wounds etc. I'm in an area of nursing where there is a lot of smelly wounds and gore.

There are probably areas of nursing away from that but you have to do the training first which means experiencing different aspects.

Also, I think you need a good poker face when nursing. I can occasionally be inside going this smells so bad, it's making me feel sick but on the outside I'm happy and smiling. I wouldn't want my feelings to make that person feel ashamed or upset.

Honestly, people are going to puke on your shoes. My friends works on a gastro ward and has some sort of bodily fluid on her at all times. Even if you get a job in an area where there’s relatively little gore (eg I’m a MH nurse and we don’t really see as many gross things tbh), during your training you will be exposed to all sorts. It’s not really a career for those who struggle with those things. Saying that, is your “tingling” not just empathy? That’s a good quality in a prospective nurse.

This 100%.

Honestly if you are very squeamish I'd think twice - what about an AHP role like OT or Physio or SLT?

Strangely I used to be quite severely needle phobic, I couldn’t even hold one without getting sweaty palms and my heart rate spiking! I now give injections/take bloods regularly in my role. Im a mental health nurse in the community now so not so much “gore” for a lack of a better term but I still assess wounds etc on a semi regular basis and some of the self harm I have seen on the wards in my career have been quite shocking. Honestly I think you become a little desensitised to it over time, not in the sense of
compassion fatigue but that you learn techniques which allow you to detach and to think logically in a situation where you need to take charge and make decisions on the care you’re providing. The difference in myself as a practitioner from beginning my training at uni to now being qualified for years is massive. If it’s something you’re really passionate about it can be over come, even if you access CBT before hand! Could you join the bank and pick up
some support worker shifts to see how you like the clinical environment first?

I honestly think you do get over it a bit. Some things still make me a little queasy (I very much struggle with any dental/max fax things). When I started that was the one thing that I really struggled with. Now I can deal with those cases without issue. Admittedly it isn't my favourite, but you get over it. Exposure to things day in day out does desensitise a lot.

I did get sick quite a bit when I started out, but now my immune system is ready for it all and doesn't seem to have a problem..
However, I still get sick as anything from my daughters nursery bugs.

I think you'll be absolutely fine, just know when to bow out if you feel faint. You wouldn't be the first or last student to faint in theatres, but we don't appreciate it when they do so in the direction of our sterile field..!

Squeamish with what? I'm an HV my background being paediatric nurse, and I hate sick. Bleurgh, but you just choose a role
which doesn't involve puke.

I know plenty of student nurses who fainted in surgery.
When they qualified they didn't choose surgery.

Grit your teeth and get through the bits you don't like and choose a pathway you are good at and enjoy.
Neonatal you may be less squeamish with (I don't mind baby puke!) and you thankfully see less baby blood.

Oh and sick. I started with a huge and genuine fear of sick. I'd panic the second I was near someone because I couldn't stand the thought of being sick myself. I'd immediately feel nauseous. Now I wipe that stuff off my shoe, give a fresh bowl to the patient. Maybe do a little internal scream while smiling and assuring them that it's absolutely okay and I have spare pants in my locker.

Don't get me wrong, I still hate people throwing up. The noises.. blergh. But I no longer feel panicky and struggle in that way. Just another part of the ever glamorous job!

I get where your coming from and remember watching a documentary about nurses in training when I was younger and thinking yuck 🤣 however when you’ve actually got a patient in front of you, your just so concerned with getting everything right and consequences of not doing so/making it a worse experience for them etc that it does kind of detatch you from your own preferences at the time. Same as can skip breaks as not time and kind of ignore own thirst as so focussed on getting what needs doing done and then only once finished the shift the hunger and thirst hits you (along with a banging headache!)

P.s. I’ve done HCA type roles and definitely found the squeamish more difficult to deal with as you’ve not got super important clinical assessment/treatment to be doing at same time to distract you. Huge respect to all HCAs

Sorry op squeamish especially with seeing someone in pain and children is not a very good mix for you, I work in private sector with disabilities but have myself an immunocompromised medically complex child and you are always gping to have to do procedures that will not only cause the child pain but they will be uncontrollable some literally like they are being murdered because you have to touch them it's not something you actually get used to at all and in some cases can actually get worse because you will develop an anxiety disorder because your constantly having to do it then dealing with parents emotions on top. Childrens nursing is a beautiful rewarding career however your rarely given the tools you need or the child needs to make your medical task easier, the staff to cover true levels of patient care or the money to make all the stress compensated. It's literally one of the hardest roles you could choose in the care sector for someone with your worries, try ITU your patients are usually unconscious and unaware of the procedures your having to do to them.

1. You may have a year when you get sick a lot, but after that your immune system gets turbo charged.
2. Washing your hands is the best way to avoid infection - I also avoid touching things like door handles, pens that others have used, etc - those things make a difference.
3. You get a lot less squeamish over time. Yes, you will get over it. And in the situations where someone has a problem, you have a job to do, instead of with family members where you are just there. It makes a huge difference to how you react.
4. Go for it!

You do get used to bodily fluids (you’ll be discussing poo over the dinner table without thinking about it) and you do get used to not reacting when something does get to you.

Some of the situations that I’ve been in have made me want to vomit (and I’m not squeamish!) but you can’t let your patient see that you are struggling.

Oh and I don’t really get ill (apart from uti’s from not being able to wee enough).

My experience......I couldn't do it.

I'm really squeamish. I faint watching anyone have blood taken, just the sight of an inner elbow makes me feel a bit gippy....BUT I learned to do phlebotomy and was fine. It's a medical procedure I had to do, and I was so busy focusing on the practicalities I didn't have chance to get bothered by it. It wasn't a daily task so not very often - I don't know if doing it daily would have cured me or not!

I'm not very hands on these days, but once with warning I had a patient come in who'd fallen outside and (TRIGGER WARNING!) managed to completely peel back the skin on the palm of her hand so you could see smooth muscle tissue underneath. I knew it was me or no-one sorting it, so I mentally pulled my socks up, took a deep breath, had a look, picked the gravel out, washed the wound, put a temporary bandage on and sent her off to A&E. All while keeping a very good poker face and managing to not be sick. As soon as she'd left I had to sit down because I felt so fainty. If I'm not in 'work' mode or not actually involved in a medical process I'm an absolute wuss.

I would dearly love to be more 'hands on' like in surgery or A&E,but it's not for me unfortunately. I had to get pulled out of a post mortem because I was going fainty. Maybe see if you could do some work experience to see whether it's for you? Or start as a HCA before you commit?

As for getting ill, for me I think it's been a gradual build up of having contact with so many many people daily, so many germs and bugs, I have a cast iron stomach and rarely get ill.

I was a nurse ( adult ) for over 30 yrs and have never in my adult life had a D&V bug and I worked on wards with Norovirus bays and at one point a C diff ward . I don’t necessarily think you get less squeamish I think it’s more a case of you have to get stuck in because that’s your job , your professional side just takes over .

When I was a kid, I was really quite sensitive to things on TV like medical programmes etc, but seeing it in real life was snot half as bad. I don’t see too much blood and gore in my current job (GP) but as a trainee I loved being in theatre and seeing and treating wounds in A+E. Vomit and poo never really bothered me.

And generally my immune system is pretty good.

I'm an ex-theatre nurse, and having been out of nursing for 10 years now I find I'm more likely to get a disgusted shudder at things than I used to I push past it and help if I need to. Having seen almost every part of the human body in all kinds of states I was the most unsqueamish person you could ever meet. So I think you can desensitise, and then lose that ability.

It's a state of mind. You decide to be OK with something, then through practice and more deciding that it's OK you actually become genuinely fine with all kinds of things. The act of putting on a uniform was part of this un-phasable character too. Needing to be calm in front of a patient becomes a priority so you smile past things that make you want to run away.

Cultivate a grounded and slightly ironic sense of humour too. So when things get messy (Like the time a surgeon used a tool incorrectly and sprayed me with the contents of someone's small intestines) you just sigh and go 'Yup, that's about right for this day' instead of going ewwwwwwww. And accept there will always be the thing you just can't get over and will always make you ick. Mine was surgery on toes - I could do it but would always feel queasy.

You do learn to cope. I can cope with vomit, phlegm, blood for days. The dirtiest of wounds if my favourite thing to clean. But I can't do stomas. I used to be awful with poo but I have for the most part fmgot over it. But stomas is my thing.

We all have one thing we cannot deal with. However we still do it.

My colleague can't deal with phlegm, she works in respiratory.

Don't worry about it. Apply and find out you have more strength than weaknesses.

Ps I couldn't do children's nursing so my hat is off to you for that. I prefer my patients to be over 40kg and occasionally trying to hit me with a Zimmer frame.

Nearly didn't do medicine as I was really squeamish but really glad I did. When you are actually involved with looking after someone it is a lot easier. If you think you want to do nursing don't let being worried about being squeamish stop you trying.

Yes got a few bugs in the first couple of years but after a while you have met most of them and you are usually OK.

Go for it!

Not helpful to the OP but just wanted to say THANK YOU SO MUCH to all the wonderful healthcare staff. You will never know how much you are appreciated for the amazing work you do xxxx

My mum is like this and was a wonderful nurse. She managed it fine at work, but has never been able to cope with her own or her kids blood!

I'm severely emetephobic

Despite wanting to be a midwife, and years of therapy - I had to accept that I couldn't follow my dream

I also, always wanted to be a nurse and started training in my 40s.. 10 years ago and I've never regretted it.

The training/uni was hard with small children but worth it.

There are so many different roles in the nursing that its does not have to involve blood and pain etc. Plus its amazing how fact you adapt. You learn poker face and if working with a good team you learn to express your feelings with them.

With placements you also learn what your preferences are, mine was trauma/surgergy and community. Wasn't keen on digestive diseases (too much poo).

I'd say go for it, also in the current climate there are so vaccines you'll never be out of work (sad but true).