Considering a career: PTSD - Medical procedures/gore
Tl;dr: could I become a dietitian and avoid medical procedures/gore?
I live in the US, specifically OH.
I was previously in school for pre-PT and worked as a medical scribe for surgeons. I have PTSD from an incident that happened while working, I quit my job and dropped out of school. I’ve been through years of therapy but I still am sensitive to images/smells/noises involving gore/gruesome medical procedures. Even hearing people talk about certain things messes with me.
I’m very passionate about nutrition and health and wellness, so I really want to have a career in the field, but am worried it will have a negative effect on my mental health. Ive been in therapy for this incident for almost 6 years, so it had a severe impact on me. I don’t know think I will ever be the same unfortunately, so I’m not expecting to ever become desensitized to these things again.
I would not want to work in a clinical setting as a dietitian and know there are options once I have my degree, but it sounds like the internship requires hours in settings that would expose me to these triggers.
Is it possible/realistic for me to become a dietitian and avoid these triggers?
Posted Dec 1, 2025, 3:10 AM UTC