ER deaths

Editorial Team / Admin · Aug 19, 2016

We once had the father of an employee come in as a trauma. He didn't make it out of the OR. We've also had some pretty traumatic experiences for staff involving extremely young patient deaths. The facility offered debriefing opportunities in group settings as well as one on one meetings with the chaplain staff. If it's something that is affecting you greatly, you can look into resources like that or an employee assistance program.

ToriAneal · Aug 19, 2016

We once had the father of an employee come in as a trauma. He didn't make it out of the OR. We've also had some pretty traumatic experiences for staff involving extremely young patient deaths. The facility offered debriefing opportunities in group settings as well as one on one meetings with the chaplain staff. If it's something that is affecting you greatly, you can look into resources like that or an employee assistance program.

Thank u for your response. í ½í¸Š I think I will be okay but its just super sad. I really don't like seeing the little kids in the ER. That truly breaks my heart.

brownbook · Aug 19, 2016

We had a teenager come in one night with severe asthma, ended up being intubated. An ICU nurse, who was working that night, walked into the trauma room. I was confused, thought she had come to help, (I can't remember if we called an over head code or not)? I even told her we were okay, didn't need her help. Turns out it was her son.

Well...he was okay, extubated the next morning, but it was horrible at the time! I don't even remember what happened when he was transferred to ICU. Who took over her patients. I was the night supervisor at the time so I would have been in charge of getting someone in for her patients.

AliNajaCat · Aug 19, 2016

Work in a small hospital in a small town and you'll have more opportunities than you want to participate in the tragedies of people you know. I'm thinking of the nurse at the head of her husband's bed in the ICU during the code, "Please don't leave me, please please please..." and another nurse's baby born with anencephaly, or the ER nurse who saw the wreck on her way home at 0800 and recognized her son's car and her EMS friends held her back and wouldn't let her get near it ... or my kid hit by the car and getting packaged up to transfer to the big city children's hospital. Mine lived and though scarred is otherwise intact and a mother herself now, but I can't stop thinking about the others when I see a question like yours.

Eagle2110, ASN, BSN, APRN · Aug 21, 2016

Was in the ER during my preceptorship, patient brought in and died, had never seen her before in my life. Helped staff clean her up and disconnect tubes before the family was allowed in. First person through the door was a girl I had went to junior high and high school with; she saw me and I just did not know what to say; "I'm sorry" just seemed too generic.

I use to want to work in the ER part-time because of the fast pace, but I doubt I could ever work there full-time. I would always be pre worrying about the next saddest situation to come through the doors. Much admiration for the ER personnel, and many hugs.

ToriAneal · Aug 21, 2016

It's so heartbreaking when you have to witness things like that. It's emotionally and it hurts. I'm glad to read about your son being okay. And much luck to you Hun.

Libby1987 · Aug 21, 2016

I don't work in a hospital but I was a home health nurse in my small community for years. I loved either knowing my patients or being separated by 1-2 degrees. A lot of my kids' friends' grandparents. Until about 8 years into it and nearing 50 myself friends started dying, usually metastatic cancers.

I realized my work was not to age out and witness so many people I knew go through, or at least transition towards death. It was just too gut wrenching for me and I needed more separation to be able to handle it and let go at the end of the day.

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Aug 21, 2016

Moved to the Emergency Nursing forum for more responses.

Editorial Team / Moderator · Aug 21, 2016

Nothing hurts like losing one of your own, in your "home." Get help to process this if you need it, OP. Even when we don't know them it's not easy.

HarleyGrandma, RN, EMT-B · Aug 21, 2016

*Obviously this is a serious topic, but to provide a lighter story involving family/friends...

A month before my wedding (30 years ago!) I was involved in a bad wreck, got hit from behind by a big dump truck. Every single groomsmen in our wedding responded to the wreck (3 Rescue, 2 Fire) thankfully my guy was on another call. I had to be cut out of the car, had several fractures, cuts, but no life threatening injuries. Gallows humor took over in the ambulance, by the time we got to the ER we were howling with laughter. ER doctor was my maid of honors dad, he joined right in. I'm sure other patients were confused and horrified. :roflmao:

As a nursing student my ER clinical will be in the ER that both of my parents died in, I think of them everytime I walk into the hospital. The staff there was great during and after their deaths though, and so that helps make it a positive memory. They treated my parents with respect and were very kind to me.

I hope to be that kind of nurse myself one day

ReadyToListen, CNA, EMT-B · Aug 21, 2016

So sorry you had such a hard experience, OP....hugs. the only similar experience I've had is the night we got an ems radio report for a resp arrest and it was the husband of a Dept head. We all know her at one level or another so she and the other family members got plenty of comforting after we coded him unsuccessfully.