Feeling very sad right now

[TheNatural_Nurse, RN]

Hello fellow nurses and student nurses! Well I lost a patient yesterday and I am still feeling like I could have done more to help this person. I find myself questioning my skills as a student nurse. Did I do everything possible because I feel like I did not, did I perform the compressions correctly? Did I check the carotid location correctly? Should I went more in depth with my compressions to bring this person back?

The charge nurse and my instructor informed me that this patient had a lot of aliments going on. It was nothing more we could do. I'm just feeling a little crappy and I'm going to have to just shake it off a start fresh tomorrow morning. I know death is inevitable and I need to find a way to cope with it because as a nurse I'm going to see death a lot! What are some of your ways?

[HouTx, BSN, MSN, EdD]

One very unique aspects of any clinical profession is our proximity to death. In modern society, very few people are ever exposed to the death of another human being. It's one of the hardest things we have to deal with, but individual reactions are usually geared to one's own frame of values and beliefs. Studies show that clinicians who consider themselves 'religious' tend to have better coping mechanisms because of belief in the eternal soul (physical death is not the end of everything & God has ultimate control). It may help to clarify your own personal belief system. and values.

The reality of resuscitation is that very few 'codes' end in positive outcomes, even in hospitals. The sicker the patient, the poorer the outcome. Of course, I'm not ruling out miracles... but we can't count on them happening on a regular basis. So, no matter how perfectly we react - it may not make a difference in the outcome.

Most experienced clinicians have the ability to compartmentalize their emotions.. to effectively distance and protect themselves from the cumulative effects of sadness and tragedy they encounter. We have to remember - it's not about us, it's about the patient. We cannot be effective in our jobs when we dissolve into an emotional heap. Don't be afraid to ask for assistance from more experienced colleagues. It will get better over time.

[TheNatural_Nurse, RN]

You are correct HouTx and I thank you for taking the time to respond. I'm great now! No more sadness for me. Today was just another day, fast but exciting and I'm loving every minute of it!