35 Doctors Share Some Of The Most Disturbing And Disgusting Things They’ve Witnessed At Work

Recently, my partner dislocated his finger quite badly, and it was terrifying to look at. It was clearly out of place and looked fake, but at the same time, I couldn’t stop staring at it. As we waited for about an hour in the emergency room, he paced around with this deformed excuse for a finger until a doctor was able to see him and straighten it out. While sitting in the waiting room, we saw some terrifying injuries, as well as an elderly man wearing one shoe incoherently babbling nonsense, laughing and yelling while laying on a stretcher. Considering what we witnessed over the course of an hour or two, I cannot imagine what doctors encounter during their entire careers…

My father is a doctor, and I have always greatly admired how much he cares about helping other people. He is so selfless, and every single day he makes an impact on other people’s lives throughout his work. I, however, never even considered following in his footsteps. Not because I intended to be a disappointment to my family, of course, but mainly because I could not stomach the thought of working in health care.

I am incredibly squeamish, so the idea of blood, pus, dislocated joints, and more is enough to send me running out of the building. I often close my eyes or skip entire scenes in films if something gross is happening. But somehow, doctors manage to build up an impressive tolerance to the shocking and the disgusting. Perhaps it takes a special type of person who is immune to being grossed out in the first place to be a doctor, or maybe it takes years of practice to build up a tolerance. But either way, it seems impossible to shock a good doctor. 

One writer for WebMD, Lisa Zamosky, explored this impressive tolerance doctor’s have for disgusting things and spoke to several about why it is so hard to shock them. "It's part of the job," says Dr. Elizabeth Houser, an Austin, Texas based urologist. "It's like if you're a mechanic and have to clean out a carburetor. It's just what you do." Dr. Houser explained that once a doctor makes it through their residency program, they have witnessed anything and everything you could possibly imagine. She recalls when she once had to “use [her] finger and manually ‘disimpact’ [a] patient” who had not had a bowel movement in nearly two weeks. "I got over my squeamishness of doing a rectal exam that day,” she says. 

One writer for WebMD, Lisa Zamosky, explored this impressive tolerance doctor’s have for disgusting things and spoke to several about why it is so hard to shock them. "It's part of the job," says Dr. Elizabeth Houser, an Austin, Texas based urologist. "It's like if you're a mechanic and have to clean out a carburetor. It's just what you do." Dr. Houser explained that once a doctor makes it through their residency program, they have witnessed anything and everything you could possibly imagine. She recalls when she once had to “use [her] finger and manually ‘disimpact’ [a] patient” who had not had a bowel movement in nearly two weeks. "I got over my squeamishness of doing a rectal exam that day,” she says. 

One great thing about knowing that your doctors have seen it all is that we never should feel embarrassed or ashamed to open up to them about what’s going on with us. If you have a rash or injury that you’re scared to be honest about, don’t be. Your doctor has almost definitely seen worse. And even if they haven’t, you might make a great story for them to tell one day. They likely will be more intrigued with your situation than disgusted or shocked. Plus, if you can bring them something they don’t see every day, it might make their shift more exciting. How many people break their arms in an electric scooter accident or get a concussion playing football? What would really be interesting is getting an injury that would warrant you a spot on this list!