Hi, I have a question for any doctors or students. One of the reasons I never thought seriously about becoming a doctor before now was because I got really grossed out by surgery shows and blood and guts. I have recently tried to get over this by looking up pictures of surgery online and watching surgeries on TV. They don't gross me out nearly as much and I find them very interesting. I know that's not anywhere close to experiencing it firsthand, but I think that if I could really get over this I could be a really good doctor. I even think that I would really enjoy surgery. Is this something that any of you had a problem with? Is this something that I could get over? I have gotten a lot better about my squeamishness, but I know I would have a loooong way to go. Thanks.

Things I love: gaping wounds, tumors, lg abcesses, dissecting and suturing.

Things I hate: vomit, retching, sputum, poop.

I have worked in health care for many years, I plan to do surgery. I cannot even clean up my owns kids's vomit without losing it myself. Some things you deal with some things you don't. You do your best and most of the time there is a great nurse there to back you up when the vomiting starts. Or you retch in the corner of your arm and try to keep going. It's not all the time so it's doable and tolerable.

I think you will have to get over it to deal with Anatomy lab. There was one body in the lab that really grossed me out, and I just sucked it up while I had to be there and avoided it if possible.

As far as being grossed out, I am much better when I am in a professional role versus seeing squirrel guts on the side of the road. I get really grossed out by that stuff but for some reason I can handle most things in the hospital. You don't really have choice when you are working so you tend to just deal. Poop is gross, but it always will be.

I wouldn't let that keep you away, if you really feel you will love surgery you will get over it

You forgot one: Pus.

When I'm draining abscesses, sometimes it is pretty smelly and gross, but, since the patient is often awake, I can't show any disgust - I just think about how grossed out and embarressed the patient must be to have this gross thing on their body. When you're focused on being professional and sympathetic to the patient, you forget you're kinda grossed-out yourself. You get over it.

Blood and guts are actually pretty clean and not yucky at all in comparison to pus.

abcess pus is not so bad, after all. What really gets me is empyema...old ones. Cleaned one up in an old TB patient. My God, the pleural space was like an ancient cave with stalachtites, just downright nasty.

Bronchiectasis is pretty gross too (casts. yuck)

But Medicine is by definition gross, I mean, you're dealing with all the stuff that went wrong, most is it is either painful or disgusting, from perianal fistulas to seborrehic dermatitis. That's the fun of it! Surgical smells, yum yum.

I can clean up vomit,poop,suction a trach patient then go wash my hands and finish lunch. Sounds appetizing doesn't it? I don't know, it just doesn't bother me HOWEVER, there is something about that stinch of GI bleeds..it makes me gag and I end up having to play it off and go into the bathroom and run the water or flsuh the toilet so the patient doesn't hear me.

Nothing like a brisk GI bleed to make the stomach turn... that's definitely up there. Necrotizing fasciitis is pretty bad too. And there's always "homeless foot."

Still, once you're in a professional position, you generally get past it... or you put a surgical mask on to blunt the smell.

Blood and guts are cool. (And I'm not even a surgeon.) The first time I ever observed surgery and smelled cautery my stomach turned, but once they opened the chest wall, nothing else fazed me (not even the sternal saw). It was just too interesting. You may find the same thing is true - won't know until you try.

Good luck,
Danielle