New Nurse...Need advice on dealing with death

I am really proud of everyone that has responded to this post and all of the others on this great site. I am the original poster of this message and although I have come a long way, it is still hard to deal with the death of a patient. After going back and re-reading my original message and all of the posts that followed it makes me feel honored to be in such a great profession where we support each other and provide constructive feedback as well as years and years of experience. Where I work, I do not always feel this supported and looked out for. I am also happy to know that my post has helped others dealing with similiar feelings. I have seen many more deaths since I posted this back in Dec 2008. Each one affects me differently and each one helps me grow. Back in Decemeber I tried talking to my mom about how I was feeling (actually I tried talking to just about anyone that would listen! but my mom's response surprised me most). My mom questioned my career choice and asked if I was strong enough to do this. Since that day I have known that I am strong enough to make a positive impact on my patients and their families. I know that is not what she meant. She meant that I shouldn't feel what I was feeling (sad, hopeless, confused, torn, disturbed) and I needed to "get over it". And my response to that is if I ever stop feeling and stop seeing patients as people...I need to get out of Nursing. That is not what nursing is to me. Thank you all so much for the love and support. xoxo

I am really proud of everyone that has responded to this post and all of the others on this great site. I am the original poster of this message and although I have come a long way, it is still hard to deal with the death of a patient. After going back and re-reading my original message and all of the posts that followed it makes me feel honored to be in such a great profession where we support each other and provide constructive feedback as well as years and years of experience. Where I work, I do not always feel this supported and looked out for. I am also happy to know that my post has helped others dealing with similiar feelings. I have seen many more deaths since I posted this back in Dec 2008. Each one affects me differently and each one helps me grow. Back in Decemeber I tried talking to my mom about how I was feeling (actually I tried talking to just about anyone that would listen! but my mom's response surprised me most). My mom questioned my career choice and asked if I was strong enough to do this. Since that day I have known that I am strong enough to make a positive impact on my patients and their families. I know that is not what she meant. She meant that I shouldn't feel what I was feeling (sad, hopeless, confused, torn, disturbed) and I needed to "get over it". And my response to that is if I ever stop feeling and stop seeing patients as people...I need to get out of Nursing. That is not what nursing is to me. Thank you all so much for the love and support. xoxo