I am a nursing student and was scheduled to go to into the OR.?

I was pretty nervous about it. I met my patient and watched the nurse put in her IV, and while she was doing it the patient was moaning in pain. As this was happening, I started to get a cold sweat and began to see black spots. I had to excuse myself and sit down because I was scared I would fall. I'm not a big fan of surgeries but I didn't think I would be affected this way.
Was this a vasovegal reaction? Is there anyway to cure this?

You could have had a vasovegal reaction. Did you lock your knees?--this could make you faint. Take deep breaths. Just remember that not all nurses are cut out to be surgical nurses, or ER nurse, or ICU nurse, etc. You may make a wonderful office nurse, if the hospital bothers you or a wonderful nursing home nurse. A nurse is not a nurse is not a nurse. What I mean by that is that not all nurses can handle a bloody ER truama, or OR, or etc. We are not cookie cutter clones. You will find your spot. Until then, while in school, just be aware of those things that make you feel like you may faint. I do want to tell you that those things that bother you now, may not bother you very long, because we do become desensitized after be subjected to things over a period of time. Good Luck. With the nursing shortage we need all kinds of nurses, even those with weak stomaches. LOL

Click on the URL and you will get lots of stuff on vasovegal reactions.

Maybe you were just stressed.

"Vasovagal reaction: A reflex of the involuntary nervous system that causes the heart to slow down (bradycardia) and that, at the same time, affects the nerves to the blood vessels in the legs permitting those vessels to dilate (widen). As a result the heart puts out less blood, the blood pressure drops, and what blood is circulating tends to go into the legs rather than to the head. The brain is deprived of oxygen and the fainting episode occurs. The vasovagal reaction is also called a vasovagal attack. The resultant fainting is synonymous with situational syncope, vasovagal syncope, vasodepressor syncope, and Gower syndrome which is named for Sir William Richard Gower (1845-1915), a famous English neurologist. See also: Syncope.

Common Misspellings: vasogal reaction

I've been an OR nurse for 16 yrs as well as teaching nursing school for 2 yrs before I had children. Went straight out of school into the OR. You aren't the first to do this and you won't be the last. Heck even an OR nurse passes out sometimes, but it's usually from heat. You did exactly the right thing stepping back and sitting down. I've taken more than one student done to the ER after they hit their head passing out because they kept insisting they were "fine".

We all have things that bother us, areas of practice that we don't like or we don't fit in. I cannot take seeing people in traumatic pain, so the ER or flight nursing are not for me. And I have no interest in psych at all.

In addition to offering hands-on experiences, clinicals offer you a glimpse of different practice areas so you can decide what you are best suited for.