[Mature007]

hello,

I am hoping to apply to medicine and I am very interested in gynaecology and obstetrics. As it stands this is what I want to do. I have seen women be examined internally and seen dead foetuses and loads of bloods. But as a gynaeologist I would be expected to perform hysterocetomy's, caesareans so I'll be a surgeon as well.

I am a little squeamish is there anything I can do to get over this? I mean I saw a stab wound once and I could not take looking at it, as you could see inside the stomach. I had to walk out.

I am better off trying to do something else within medicine or how can I overcome this??

Any Advice pleas.

[Zedd]

Get in?

[MJK91]

Okay, with all seriousness!

A lot of people have this issue, it's not uncommon and just because someone enjoys science and the idea of helping someone as a doctor, it doesn't automatically make them solidly resistant to blood and guts.

I'm not a doctor/med student, and I don't really have your issue either, but I imagine that the problem would go away over time with desensitisation to the blood and gore. It'd be interesting to hear from any medical students who overcame this, I'm sure there's some!

[digitalis]

(Original post by MattKneale)
Okay, with all seriousness!

A lot of people have this issue, it's not uncommon and just because someone enjoys science and the idea of helping someone as a doctor, it doesn't automatically make them solidly resistant to blood and guts.

I'm not a doctor/med student, and I don't really have your issue either, but I imagine that the problem would go away over time with desensitisation to the blood and gore. It'd be interesting to hear from any medical students who overcame this, I'm sure there's some!

I was asked this by some family members the other day. I think having a job to do is a big part of this. Say you saw someone with a stab wound: compared to watching it as an observer where you are just faced with the gore, as a dr you have a job to do: running through your head are things like 'how am I going to stabilise this patient?', 'what structures were damaged?, 'does this patient need imaging/bloods/referral', 'what treatment does he need?' so you are sort of distracted by all that. Same thing as when you are a medical student dissecting, you are so busy trying to work out what you need to do in that class it doesn't really bother you.

Until later and you start thinking about it from an observers' point of view!

[Mature007]

Hello, I really appreciate your responses and I know I have been negatively scored. I hope my original post did not offend people. I am just being honest. But thanks for your posts.

[Dragonfly07]

I'm doing biology and some people have major problems with looking at blood. If you're so squeamish that you can't stand to be around it then it wouldn't suit you.

[MJK91]

(Original post by Mature007)
Hello, I really appreciate your responses and I know I have been negatively scored. I hope my original post did not offend people. I am just being honest. But thanks for your posts.

Don't worry about negative ratings, you had every right to ask the question you did so I don't know why people are rating you badly.

[pi=3]

(Original post by Zedd)
Get in?

No!!!! Have we learnt nothing from the 'Videos of Medicine' thread?!!!

[Dmon1Unlimited]

You need to learn to overcome this...

Edit: op does need to
If he wants to have a career there he needs to overcome the uncomfortableness...

Quote me and tell me why I'm wrong then...

[Mature007]

I enjoy looking at blood, blood is not a problem, it is more so, looking at open wounds. if that makes sense.

I will focus on overcoming this after the UKCAT exam in September. I work a lot of shifts on gynaecology ward so I see blood and dead foetuses, clots, women being internally examined all the time.

It is just if I have to do hysterectomries, remove ectopic pregnancies, I think I will have a look on youtube and see what I can find about it.

Thanks for the feedback everyon, and Matt Kneale your a lovely guy and always some positive and supportive comments to offer everyone.

[Zedd]

(Original post by Mature007)
I enjoy looking at blood

Woah!

Kidding... What I think and what I've heard from friends that study and have graduated from medicine is that the reasons they wanted to become a doctor and the kind of doctor they wanted to be changed over the course of their degree in accordance to their experiences. I don't doubt that you want to go into medicine because you aspire to work as a gynaecologist but that doesn't necessarily mean that you are going to want to do that come graduation- you may find that you are more interested in general practice or a non-invasive area of medicine. You may even find that you thoroughly enjoy invasive procedures and overcome your current unease.

Even if you decide that medicine isn't for you you will have to overcome your squeamishness if you want to progress in healthcare, particularly if you want to offer a vulnerable patient a trusting and safe environment.

[MKZebra]

Just try not to overthink things too much when you are looking at them.

When I was doing Biology practicals, the idea of cutting up an eyeball made my stomach turn, but once I actually got hands on, it didn't bother me at all. I think you'll find it the same.

Of course, the stuff you'll be doing is a bit more gory than poking at eyeballs, but you'll get used to it, I'm sure.

It's all about telling yourself beforehand that it's not going to bother you. If you start to worry etc. it will make things worse.

[Helenia]

Don't stress yourself out over this at the moment. If you get into medical school and decide to go for a surgical specialty, you'll have plenty of time to get used to all the gore (though I wouldn't tell your interviewer "I enjoy looking at blood!") - there's no need to start "addressing" it now. There is a high chance that if you do get into med school, your ideas of what specialty you want to do will change throughout it anyway, so don't get too set on one thing right away.

Lots of people are a bit squeamish about certain things (I hate eyes) but if it's something you're interested in, you'll get used to it.

[Mature007]

Hello,

- I am likely to change as I go through medical school. I just hope I get on for 2013 entry. I have changed so much from 16 to 28. I mean I have done psychology since 2004 and now it's 2012 and I want to do medicine.

- I have been mulling over medicine for a few years now and now I really am going to do it, my dad and gran say go for it and try your best. My mum negative a sper usual is like blah blah blah, but I am headstrong and I do what I want.

[Mature007]

- the only thing i am worried about is, i have looked at threads of people failing exams. and someone comiitted suicide over this, i have heard that is very pressurised and very hard. i will have to move away from my family - i just hope i can cope.

[lsaul95]

(Original post by Mature007)
hello

I had a similar problem. I wasn't squeamish, per say, but the sight of gore would make me feel nauseous.
It may sounds stupid, but I literally started searching the internet for gory videos, particularly surgical videos. After watching a fair amount, I kind of became desensitized to it. I'm not sure if it would help in your case, but it certainly did with mine. I'm fine with blood and gore now, which is a relief, considering I had to watch a live surgery as part of a medicine master class not long ago haha!

[Hype en Ecosse]

(Original post by lsaul95)
I had a similar problem. I wasn't squeamish, per say, but the sight of gore would make me feel nauseous.
It may sounds stupid, but I literally started searching the internet for gory videos, particularly surgical videos. After watching a fair amount, I kind of became desensitized to it. I'm not sure if it would help in your case, but it certainly did with mine. I'm fine with blood and gore now, which is a relief, considering I had to watch a live surgery as part of a medicine master class not long ago haha!

I can vouch for this kind of desensitisation. I've always been fine with blood and gore, but I did have an aversion to spiders. A "WOAH **** THAT!" kill-on-sight kind of aversion. I spent a few hours on the internet researching spiders, saw loads of pictures in the process, and learned that spiders are actually really cool insects. Now I don't mind them and am happy to share a home with them.

Although, there's the possibility that you might not mind images of it, but still be squeamish around the real thing. From what I hear this can be pretty common among med students anyway, so when you get to uni, you'll probably learn to be fine with it.

[Funky_Climber]

(Original post by Mature007)
hello,

I am hoping to apply to medicine and I am very interested in gynaecology and obstetrics. As it stands this is what I want to do. I have seen women be examined internally and seen dead foetuses and loads of bloods. But as a gynaeologist I would be expected to perform hysterocetomy's, caesareans so I'll be a surgeon as well.

I am a little squeamish is there anything I can do to get over this? I mean I saw a stab wound once and I could not take looking at it, as you could see inside the stomach. I had to walk out.

I am better off trying to do something else within medicine or how can I overcome this??

Any Advice pleas.

The C-Section is done by the Obstetrician not the Gynaecologist

[llessur123]

Wait till you actually get in first, it's unlikely you will stick to the same aspirations after 5 years anyway.

[Helenia]

(Original post by Funky_Climber)
The C-Section is done by the Obstetrician not the Gynaecologist

In most hospitals in the UK, obs & gynae is one specialty, so it's highly likely you'd have to do Caesareans and gynae surgery.