Hello All.

I joined this forum over the summer because I was curious to know if there were any fellow emets out there pursuing a career in medicine.(I will be taking the MCAT in May and applying to med schools this cycle) Since then I haven't checked in a lot except to browse occasionally. For me sometimes reading all the fears about flu season ect can trigger panic that I can generally keep in check.
However, I am now being faced with a situation I just can't discuss it with my fellow non traditional pre meds....(I keep the phobia pretty much to myself or downplay it...who wants a Dr. who is a afraid of vomit??)
So here's the story: For the last few months I have been volunteering in an ICU unit at a children's hospital which has not been a problem...Whew!! But this coming Sunday I have been given the opportunity to shadow a really wonderful MD. in the ER. This is an AMAZING opportunity for me, It is absolutely essential to my application that I shadow and I am lucky to be able to follow someone who I know fairly well. HOWEVER..... If I could have picked a specialty to observe...EM would NOT have been my first choice. I sort of feel like I am throwing myself off the deep end here. It doesn't help that my mother (who is super supportive but still remembers my younger days of jumping out of moving vehicles and refusing to go to school) keeps asking me if I am "sure" I want to shadow in the ER ; )
The answer in..um no..But YES, yes I really really do! I am excited.... I am just totally terrified that I might make a complete fool of myself!! So I have a plan and I have mapped out "worst case scenario" in my head... which includes taking a preemptive ativan.
I am almost fully confident that I will be able to just avert my eyes and "deal" ,even if my heart is pounding, in the event that I find myself in the room with a vomiting patient. But in reality I do not really know what to expect and it is fear of the unknown that is driving me back to this forum : ) My theory is that I will be fine because I HAVE to be. Can't go running and screaming down the hall in front of poor sick kids and a Doc I really want to act like a professional in front of. Might be weak sauce but thats all I've got.

I suppose what I am looking for is encouragement...from people who know what its like.