ProNurse

i have just completed my three years training and have started a rotational post on my second placement, have yet to wear a uniform on any ward.

as for your scars if people have a problem then it's exactly that their problem, if people have tattoos then you can't refuse to work with them or refuse to be treated by them. and theirs plenty of people who get tattos done that are then in a differant place later in life, where they feel self concious about them,. As for triggering self harm in others everyone is responsible for there own actions and coming into contact with people who are or have self harmed is a part of life, one of the main things with mental health is that it affects everyone and the idea is to promote recovery and acceptance, So again i don't think it's something that you should be concerned about.

hope you get on ok with your training, and this comes across as supportive..

I just wanted to thank the two of you for your replies.

Calcium - its reasurring to hear that you haven't had to wear uniform. I didnt consider this possibility! Also, i guess its true that clinets may encounter this in their normal lives, and it could be good for them to learn to deal with it.

Stuart - You made many interesting points, and you've given me alot of things to think of.

Thank you very much!

hi laura, I havent been on this site for a while but just had to reply when I saw your post, I am a mental health nurse and used to work on the wards. I also have some scarring on my arms from self harming when I was a teenager. Although not very noticeable or anywhere near as bad as yours from the sound of your post.

First off well done for overcoming, there is hope for us survivors , and I too was drawn to mental health nursing due to past traumas and issues of my own.

On the whole I have never had a negative experience due to the scarring , however when I was training if I had to wear a uniform I always wore a long sleeved cotton white top under it. This was never commented on and was never an issue. Once I had finished training and working I found  as my confidence and competency increased I simply stopped caring and coped fine with the odd comment about the scars. If staff asked , i simply stated I had some problems with self harming in the past but was fine now and this rarely raised more than an eyebrow. If a patient asked though I have to admit I was a little less forthcoming and usually laughed it off or made up a funny story. you have to remember the boundaries and the fact that even if you have a good relationship with a patient you should be careful about self disclosure, but you will learn that with experience.

So go for it and good luck and just remember how far you have come already ,  a few scars or comments aren't going to stop you now

Just a quick note to thank everyone from their responces. They're very encouraging. Its helping to set my mind at rest!

clare12 says ...

 As kids are not afraid to ask and also they are a similar age to me when I used to self harm..........I feel a bit like a hypocrite!!! Children can be very stubborn and I’m worried that there attitude will be 'well you did it so I will'

 

It's not hypocrisy to be able to say that you did it too and that it's possible to learn other ways to cope with stuff. That's just valuable information about their future potential.

Cheers,

Stuart

Hi,

my name is sam, i was attacked a short while ago by a mental health patient who cut my arms up quite badly, i tried so so so so so many things to stop the scars showing and being visable to the eye, i thought that in the end i would not be able to hide them at all, i put my uniform on which has short sleeves and noticed that it only covered it a little but if i moved my arms aroun in the uniform it made it worse and you could see it,

i came up with a fantastic solution to this problem although i am lucky that because it happened at work...........i dont get any comments from staff, but on the streets sometimes yeah if i am wearing a t-shirt or something short sleeved, this is my solution:

there are to ways to deal with this:

way 1 :- to cover it up with a thin top underneath your nurses uniform - this could be a thin t shirt with long arms on it, look round the shops theres always alot and always wear black under it as it looks more professional......... white shows the dirt by the midle of the day trust me its tried and tested.

way 2 :- to not cover up, and play this on your strengths- alot of mental health patients will listen to a nurse that has been through the same as them as you can easily relate to how and what they are feeling like..... sod making them feel like they would want to do it........ you can make it a conversation if you like they will open up to you better than what you think which i can promise you that as someone where i work has done this in the past and the patients open up to her like a book as they automatically know that she will understand and know how they are feeling i promise you it can become a strength, as for other professionals, if they say anything then just say yep i ha these problems too, an follow it up fast by saying something like it makes this job very easy for me as i can relate to patients so so easily an can listen to them and make sense of how they are feeling.............this should shut them up rather fast for you.......

if number (way) 2 does not work and you feel that you are being bullied in anyway speak to a manager of some saught and fast alot of nurses have many bullying issues at work, you may be no different but you do have one thing over all the other nurses in the wards and thats experience and street knowledge and nothing can make up fr personal experience as you can use this you may also find that your job is very easy its because you have been in the same situation as they have found themselves in.........

i hope this has helped you in some way

for now take care

sammie dean

ward charge nurse

I too have self harm scars, very obvious and I have had the same worries. I am a care assistant and have to wear a uniform, I still find it difficult to answer people when they ask, but like Stuart says, you are who you are now because of your experiences. The red cross do do cover up make - up for scarring and sking conditions. I asked for a referal from my GP, you only have to pay for prescription. They are amazingly helpful if you would be interested. I only use it though when at a wedding etc.. So they doesn't show up on photos, the make up doesn't cover it completely, just fades it so they do not look as bad. If you get a tan you have to be re-referred. This is another option to think about, but the quicker you become comfortable in your scars the better for you. Thank you for posting this as it has inspired me to be confident with my scars. Good luck. I am sure you will make an excellent RMN.

Em xx

honesty says ...

hi im applying to start studying adult nursing and i have been totaly freaking out about the scars on my arm they are really quite noticeable and i was wondering if i would be allowed to wear long sleeves or maybe i was considering getting a tattoo is that allowed?

thankyou

xxx

 

Hi Honesty, 

I've just done my first adult placement, and despite being totally freaked out at the thought of bearing my scars (which number into the hundreds and are obviously self inflicted), i did wear short sleeves. And funnily enough, despite all my worrying - no one said anything. I did catch a few people starring, but that was it.

You wouldnt be allowed to wear long sleeves on the ward due to infection control, but if i've learnt anything, is try not to worry, and deal with issues as they arise.

Laura

 Hey, I've got the same problem. I'll be starting as a bank support worker at a mental health hospital next week and also starting uni in September. We don't uniforms at the hospital so I can wear long sleeved tops but I am worried about when i go to uni and have to wear a uniform. This thread has answered all of my questions. So even though I'm embarrassed I know I just have to deal with it. Also thanks mrs hadfield- I volunteer with the red cross and knew they had that service but didn't really think about it being available for me. So now I'm definitely going to look into that :-) xxx

savjames says ...

Hi Laura. I'm glad your first placement went okay. :)

I start uni in Sept to like you Lauren and I have the same worries.  I am worried that I wont be able to wear long sleeves on some placements, the thought of this really stresses me out.  My scars are really bad and there is no way I would be able to hide them, also some are quite recent (a couple of months old) so they are quite red in colour.  Only a few professionals have ever seen them, so I will be worried about anyone else having to.  I wont know what to say if asked about them, a lot of nurses I have come across are not very understanding towards self harmers. Not only that but in 2005/6 I was an inpatient on a psychiatric ward for 9 months and I am worried about being put there on placement as I know a lot of the staff are still working there, also many patients I was in with are always back and fore.  I worry about people gossiping and making fun.  Sometimes I wonder is it worth putting myself through all this stress, but there is nothing else I want to do.

Good luck Laura and Lauren. x

Hey, James.

So far i've only had to bear my arms on my General placement. and ironically no one seemed to care. I think DSH scars are more of a taboo on MH staff.

I was also an inpatient. during that period, for a similar time length. It would be a conflict of interest to have a placement at the ward you were on, so if you just let your instituation know, they wont place you there. As far as im aware there are lots of staff who have a 'blacklist' of places that they cant work for one reason or another.

The only other concern is that you said some of your scars were recent.  Its a very good idea to tell your occupational health department everything about your own health, and that way they can make sure its safe for you to work. Even though i haven't harmed in a long time, the environment is a stressful one, and full of triggering stimuli which can be difficult - so make sure you're not putting yourself at risk of a relapse.

Laura :)

Thank you for your reply Laura. 

I did not realise that I could have a say in where I was placed and that if it was awkward I could ask not to be placed there.  I will surely make my tutor aware of this when I start.

With regards to my self harm, it probably will never stop completely.  But for me, it is a sign that I am managing to cope so I am unsure if I will bring this up with occ health.

I was discharged from my section 117 last September and my social worker is confident I will cope okay at university so I'm feeling okay about it at the moment.  i don't think anything I will see will surprise me, the only thing that would affect me I think would be bullying.

Good luck with your placements.  I am glad you are doing well and I hope you enjoy your training. :)

Serena

Hi im Currentley an adolescent mental health nurse in england, the unit i work in is own clothes so there is no dress code apart from obviouse no goes!,

i too went through ill mental health which i started self harming , i have light scars which does not affect my career in any way, it has given me a better understanding of what patients are suffering.

GOOD LUCK

hey, I have major DSH scars all over my body and am almost finished my mental health nursing training and my scars are far from a bother. Dont worry about it!

meggy112 says ...

Why did you choose to become a mental health nurse when you has mental health problems in the past? Do you think you can overcome you past issues and have a new fresh start? Well I do you this will be the case for you but I am worried about any negative braineffect, you first need to make sure you're ready for that.

I assume Meggy that you do not work in mental health services. If you did you'd understand how silly your apparent 'us and them' attitude about mental health actually is. Everybody's mental health is lacking in some way.

I'd also be intrigued to know what you think the negative 'brain effect' might be?

To give you an idea to think about here's a definition for you.

A mentally healthy person is ...... someone who has not yet been clinically assessed.

Hi I just have a quick question - I am about to go into first year nursing & on my health questionnaire which I have to send to the hospital it asks about self harm. I have a few small light scars but they are on my wrist & I think theyre more noticable than they are. Im nervous about admitting to them on the hospital form, is there any chance that they might reject me from the course for this reason?

Any help would be appreciated, theres no-one I can really ask about this

thank you

Calli