Death at Clinical

[NICUnurse21]

Hey guys!

So, this topic may sound strange but I feel like this is a good place to vent. I saw my first death at clinical today. The patient had been on palliative care and passed while we were there during the day. I got to see some of the post-mortem care. It was such a strange experience. We have all seen loved ones or friends/family at the funeral home after being embalmed and made "presentable", but this was my first time seeing someone who had JUST passed less than an hour before. What was everyone else's first experience with this like, if you have had one yet? I can't stop thinking about it!

[NICUnurse21]

Everyone, thank you for your replies! I appreciate them all, and it's great to hear everyone else's experiences!

[intothecosmos]

Sometimes death is hard to deal with. When I was in school for my paramedic license, I was on a call that involved a drive by shooting. The teenager was flailed out on the couch with blood coming out of his nose and mouth, multiple gunshots to his entire body. I had nightmares that night because of it and sometimes I still think about the look on his face. Since then, I've categorized deaths as good deaths and bad deaths. Not that any death is good, but you have those that die peacefully (good death) and those that turn purple when their bodies clench and vomit up everything in their stomach before they die (bad death). I'm sure there are more categories other people have made up, but death is never easy and takes a while to get used to. Once you work in a hospital, you will witness dozens of deaths in your lifetime (I know I have already and I've only been working for 15 years in the medical field). It's best to figure out how to deal with it before it happens.