[peggy miller]

I've been a nurse for 27 years, 11 of them ER nursing. It seems lately that instead of getting used to the grief I see, I am getting more emotionally drained from it. Is this a sign of burnout or does one never get used to seeing grieving families?

[Deb Rn]

I am an ER Rn as well, and sometimes I am deeply effected by the grief I see, and other times it seems like I can deal with it better. I think as ER nurses we do have to develop a thick shell, and not fall apart after every tragedy. For the really horrible ones we have a debriefing session that helps alot. You probably react to it in different ways but I think that everyone develops their own way of dealing with the tragedy. Hope this helps1