First Patient Death

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I'm curious to hear stories about your first experience with a patient passing on. It's one of those things you never forget, I think.

I recently had my first patient pass after a year and a half of nursing and it was calming and reassuring but at the same time frightening to come face to face with what a lot of people consider their biggest fear.

Specializes in Jack of all trades, and still learning.
I'll never forget my first pedi death: a 10-yr-old girl who had run out from between two parked cars and been hit by a van. She came in with eggshell fractures of her skull, traumatic arrest. Everytime we pushed on her chest, blood came out of her ears. The parents had been out shopping and came to the hospital not knowing what had happened to her daughter. She was placed in an empty room and the doc went in to talk with her. I will never ever ever forget her scream through the closed door when she was told her daughter was dead.

Oh, how horrible! Could not imagine being in that situation...

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Specializes in med surg home care PEDS.

Wow, that is beautiful, we all need a comfortable hand, a word, a person who cares at the end, you are probably a great nurse

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Specializes in Jack of all trades, and still learning.
And I'd like to think at the end of my life, when I close my eyes on this world and open them on the next, he'll introduce me to Alice, and we'll talk about the merits of a International Harvester versus a John Deere again as we walk up to the House.

That is a thought I have never had. It is beautiful, and wouldn't it be lovely...

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Specializes in OB, M/S, HH, Medical Imaging RN.

i understand this is meant to be a serious question and in all seriousness...i feel priveledged to be with a patient at the time of their passing over. it amazes me, each time, the calm and peace that comes over the patient.

my first patient death occured when i was 19 years old. i was a student doing my icu rotation. i went on a short break and when i returned my patient had died. my instructor was standing there waiting for me. she said, "your patient has died, it is your time to learn to do a postmortem". back then the monitors were portable and were placed on the patients bedside table. her's obviously was flat lined. unbeknownst to me, they had switch the monitor to the patient in the next bed, it was still on her bedside table. they didn't want to intrude on me and the instructor behind the curtain. after i had pulled her trach, cath, closed her eyes, etc...suddenly there was a rhythm. i just about peed in my pants. my instructor was a little shook herself. once everyone realized what happened we had to have a quiet respectful little laugh.

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