Am I TOO emotional to be a nurse?

lovedijah · Jul 21, 2012

I think you'll be fine being a nurse, you will just have to find a way to distance yourself. You can't take everything home in any job, especially nursing. Basically, you just have to find a balance. Care for your patients of course, but you can't be emotional over everything. For the sake of patients and proffesionalism you can't be at work crying during every procedure.

But then again, I could never work with babies. I'd be on break crying everytime a baby was hurt. Or maybe after awhile you become "numb" to it. Of course you still care, but you just learn to deal.

NurseMaybeBaby · Jul 26, 2012

That's something I'm struggling with too. I work in the ER and get very emotional when we lose a patient. I'm fine when a code is going on and I can do what I need to do without hesitation, but afterwards I take it pretty hard. I was in labor and delivery today for my OB rotation and went to a c-section. Patient hemorrhaged, emergency hysterectomy and 2 hours later was intubated and in the ICU. Can't stop crying about it. Can't stop thinking about the husband.

I just try and talk myself through it. It's not a feeling that I did something, just thinking about the circumstances. Sometimes I need to take something to sleep, or sometimes I indulge in a large adult beverage. I don't know if that's the best way to cope, but I'm working on it.

I think you sound like a caring and compassionate person. That's a good thing. I think it's just something that will take time. But the good moments far outweigh the bad. That's what we should try and focus on.

Good luck to you:)

decembergrad2011, BSN, RN · Jul 26, 2012

I think you'll be fine with more experience and exposure. I am also a crier, especially at the sad shows like Extreme Home Makeover. I even teared up at an episode of Frasier today because Frasier missed the end of "Frasier Crane Day" to talk to his limo driver about the driver's ex-wife getting remarried and his kids getting a new dad.

Anyway, if you ever feel like you're emotionally overwhelmed, I always, always, always point students in the direction of counseling services. Many universities offer some type of services and it can be a great place to clear your head. They can also give you reassurance that your feelings and behavior are perfectly normal.

Healthcare employees have feelings, too, and we get attached. For me, this is an issue because I work in oncology now and I worry about what I'm going to do when my first "close" patient dies. My grandma died of lung cancer when I was a child, so I'm sure when it happens, it's going to bring back a lot of old emotions.

Good luck!

DisneyNurseGal, BSN, RN · Jul 26, 2012

I am glad I am not the only one!

My biggest dream is to work in labor in delivery, but I am not sure if that is in the cards for me. I cry when I watch "A Baby Story" on TLC, or even when a baby is born in a movie. My cousin who is in L&D said that she used to be like that, but she was able to push it back the tears - UNLESS a dad started really crying at the birth then she cries as well!

I can't wait to go to clinicals to discover what my limits are!

jt43 · Jul 26, 2012

I worry about this too. I cry easily. I'm not what I would consider to be an overly emotional person, but I cry. So far I haven't cried in clinicals, but sometimes I cry when talking about an experience at a later date. For example, in clinical, I took care of a patient who was young, had an unknown neuro problem, and required total care. She was in the hospital for months before I started clinicals. I watched her doing speech therapy one day and was so touched by her courage and determination. All during clinicals, I was fine taking care of her but found myself tearing up in an interview where I talked about caring for her as an example of something the interviewer asked me about. I need to find a way to be able to talk about the significance of experiences I have without getting emotional. Not sure how to do that yet.

tothepointeLVN, LVN · Jul 26, 2012

I ball at movies and at that SPCA ad but I don't do it in real life much and I don't do it when a patient dies etc. Usually TV and Movies are designed to milk your emotions and be that much sadder in real life. Most things as a nurse are never that profoundly sad.

DisneyNurseGal, BSN, RN · Jul 27, 2012

I...and at that SPCA ad...

\

Stupid Sarah McLaughlin and the ASPCA ad.. gets me EVERY time :bluecry1: :sniff: :crying2:

NurseCupcake87 · Jul 27, 2012

I cry all the time too! I've gotten better as far as crying when it comes to codes. Working in the ER, most of the codes are already in progress when they arrive to us so I don't get to talk to them or learn their personality so it's easier to distance myself.... I get hit pretty hard when it's

Someone my age or a baby..

I actually cry more when I'm frustrated or overwhelmed. For me, taking the 5 minutes to go to the breakroom to cry helps me refresh and and reorient myself to from a task thinker to prioritizing and critical thinking. When I get overwhelmed I immediately go to tasking. I just start doing the next thing on the list instead of what is top priority out of all the things on the list. Crying helps me refocus.

Last time I was crying in my manager's office I told him how stupid I felt for crying because I'm frustrated and he said, "hey, I'd rather have you in here crying than throwing pencils or something." haha.

Abigail612 · Jul 27, 2012

I have always been a very emotional person. I have been a CNA in LTC for over four years and now when a patient dies it really does not tear me up like I use to. Not that I have become hard hearted and do not care but because I can see the big picture now. I have seen their days, weeks, and months of slow deterioation and now to see them die I am relieved for them. My worry now is that now that I am in school I will be doing clinicals outside of the nursing home and so the deaths I will see will be not only be of the cronically ill and old but of the acute and young. Not quite sure how I will adjust to handleing that?!

Don't worry about being to emotional, I would be more worried if you did not have any emotions.