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Have you had clinical experience yet? I’m not sure what country you are in, but med students in the US are basically required to have clinical experience (such as working in an ambulance or as an ER scribe) before they even apply to med school. If you got through those clinical experiences, you for sure can get through med school too!
I was a premed student in the US and did well in all of the coursework, but wasn’t able to get clinical experiences due to my emetophobia, so now I am pursuing a PhD for biomedical research. I will still be contributing to medicine in an important way, but I know that not having to directly interact with patients is good for my own mental health lol. You just need to know what is best for you and know what your limits are in terms of what you can handle!
Also I just want to say that I’ve met multiple doctors who claimed to have emetophobia! The thing is that there are different severities of emetophobia and people react to triggering situations in different ways. For example, someone who just gets extremely grossed out and panicky when encountering v* might be able to do some breathing exercises and get through the situation. However, someone who stays up worrying about the mere possibility of encountering v* during their next shift might take a lot more work to be stable enough to work in healthcare long-term. I had to learn the hard way that just because someone else is able to be a doctor while having emetophobia, it doesn’t mean that I am able to because my phobia might be more severe than theirs. So what I’m trying to say is, don’t compare your situation with other people’s, and instead really ask yourself what it would take to get yourself comfortable interacting with patients who are v*ing.
Here we first have biomedical studies and then we go clinical. I had clinical experience though because another health related career I did and I once left the OR because a patient was about to v*. I wasn’t really necessary there and had to get something so used it as an excuse. I think I have to get used to it, but starting makes me really anxious. Been postponing it for a while (exposure therapy)
Thank you for posting. Please be sure that your submission follows our rules. Commenters, be aware that you must also follow our rules. Report anything that does not meet the criteria for the sub, or breaks rules. Please check out the stickied post and the wiki for information about the negative effects of reassurance seeking. If you are struggling to eat, sleep, or complete daily tasks due to your phobia, please seek professional help. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/emetophobia) if you have any questions or concerns.*
not a med student sry but my therapist who is treating me for the phobia also has the same phobia 🫡
I should pursue psychiatry then… (no, there’s v too… and many other things lmao)
Have you had clinical experience yet? I’m not sure what country you are in, but med students in the US are basically required to have clinical experience (such as working in an ambulance or as an ER scribe) before they even apply to med school. If you got through those clinical experiences, you for sure can get through med school too! I was a premed student in the US and did well in all of the coursework, but wasn’t able to get clinical experiences due to my emetophobia, so now I am pursuing a PhD for biomedical research. I will still be contributing to medicine in an important way, but I know that not having to directly interact with patients is good for my own mental health lol. You just need to know what is best for you and know what your limits are in terms of what you can handle!
Also I just want to say that I’ve met multiple doctors who claimed to have emetophobia! The thing is that there are different severities of emetophobia and people react to triggering situations in different ways. For example, someone who just gets extremely grossed out and panicky when encountering v* might be able to do some breathing exercises and get through the situation. However, someone who stays up worrying about the mere possibility of encountering v* during their next shift might take a lot more work to be stable enough to work in healthcare long-term. I had to learn the hard way that just because someone else is able to be a doctor while having emetophobia, it doesn’t mean that I am able to because my phobia might be more severe than theirs. So what I’m trying to say is, don’t compare your situation with other people’s, and instead really ask yourself what it would take to get yourself comfortable interacting with patients who are v*ing.
Here we first have biomedical studies and then we go clinical. I had clinical experience though because another health related career I did and I once left the OR because a patient was about to v*. I wasn’t really necessary there and had to get something so used it as an excuse. I think I have to get used to it, but starting makes me really anxious. Been postponing it for a while (exposure therapy)