“I Thought I Was Ready” – Nursing Student Emotionally Recalls Mortuary Experience After Nearly Passing Out During Autopsy
For many nursing students, theory in the classroom feels manageable — but reality hits differently.
One student, known as @userveeria2 on TikTok, recently shared a deeply emotional experience from her visit to a mortuary, where she witnessed her very first autopsy. What she thought would be just another step in her training quickly became an intense and overwhelming moment she’ll never forget.
“POV: Student in the mortuary after seeing internal organs for the first time during autopsy. I thought I was ready. I was not,” she captioned her now-viral video.
The video shows her visibly shaken, trying to process what she had just seen. She admitted to feeling dizzy, disoriented, and on the verge of fainting. What truly shook her was seeing internal organs up close — something no textbook could have truly prepared her for.
🧠 Reactions Pour In: "Histopathology Lab Will Humble You"
Her story struck a chord with thousands of viewers, especially fellow medical and nursing students who shared their own first-time experiences in the comment section.
@Queenstach Closet shared:
“Went to mortuary orientation during our first year in nursing. Six of us were hiding — we didn’t want to see the dead bodies. The tutor caught us and locked the six of us in the mortuary room for about 10 minutes.”
@mhiztohlani added:
“First time in a morgue was during my 2nd year when we did an autopsy on a pregnant woman. Histopathology lab will humble you.”
Others were more unfazed by the experience.
@Zakayo Mu Judah commented:
“In my opinion, I think performing autopsies is the most thrilling job in the universe. I wish I was a pathologist.”
But not everyone walked away with courage. Some were so traumatized they changed their careers entirely.
@TeddyG recounted:
“In 2002 I was accepted at Wits for MBChB. We were taken to a mortuary — the hideous smell lingered in my nostrils for days. I couldn’t eat chicken. By 2004, I quit and started BSc in Computer Science. I don’t regret it.”
💬 The Reality of Healthcare Training
These powerful testimonies reveal the emotional and psychological toll that medical and nursing students face in their training — particularly when death and dissection become part of the job.
While exposure to mortuary work is essential for healthcare professionals, it's clear that nothing fully prepares you for the first time you confront it. As one commenter put it:
“It’s one thing to know what a liver does. It’s another thing to hold it in your hands.”
Whether students choose to laugh through the trauma or pivot away from the field altogether, one thing is certain — the first encounter with death in medical training leaves a lasting impression.
Add comment
Comments