My first clinical experience was a dead body

SmilingBluEyes · Oct 23, 2003

Big hugs, Francine. Tough first experience. I really recommend you get in touch w/your own feelings regarding death and dying. If there is anything unresolved, try to work it out. AS you know, death is part of life and yes, in nursing, we do encounter it. Young and old, people will die in your career. I had to learn do deal with handing dead babies to parents after pregnancy/newborn losses in my career in OB. It's very unnatural to me, seeing a perfect (appearing) baby , dead. I had to learn it was part of what I did and remember to treat the death with dignity and respect. That person was someone's son, brother, maybe someone's dad...a friend. Realize that and treat his death the way you want that of a loved one treated. And just realize as unexpected as it can be, it happens........

Hang in there. It does not get "easier" 'but you learn to cope better as you gain experience. Take care.

prmenrs, RN · Oct 23, 2003

That's a tough first experience alright. My goodness! Let's hope the next clinical day is a bit more positive.

On the other hand, you DID deal w/it. You learned that you were stronger than you realized! Next time, it will be someone else's turn.

Get some hugs for yourself, ok? You did a good job.

amber1188 · Oct 23, 2003

I was pretty shocked myself when I saw my first dead patient. I wasn't sure how to feel or even how to act. My tutor took me into his room so that I could become familiar with the thought that my patients in the future may pass away while I am working. I think now I would be more comfortable with it, but you definitely have to know what you think and your beliefs about death and dying. I think that Deb said it all very well. Good luck!

SJSU_Mami · Oct 23, 2003

I give you props for getting thru that.. I don't really expect to see that either.. I've only seen dead people in anatomy as cadavers. It must be freaky..

AmyLiz · Oct 23, 2003

Talk about a baptism by fire! But you did get through it and although there are going to be more deaths to deal with, there will also be survivals and good things. :)

Jen2 · Oct 23, 2003

I know exactly how you feel. We are currently doing our clinical on a med surge floor and there are so many deaths. We have had 5 clinical days and a death on 4 of them. We are all getting very good at post-mortum care. The funny thing is that we won't even do post mortum care until the end of the semester. I think we are all getting a tough skin about it. It never gets easier, but you learn to deal with it. Good luck.

FranEMTnurse, CNA, LPN, EMT-I · Oct 23, 2003

Way to go! There's nothing like jumping right in as a newbie and being assigned to a dead person.:chuckle

Jennerizer, ASN, RN · Oct 23, 2003

I would be more concerned about you if your attitude was that a dead body is no big deal & you had no problems handling it. Your reaction is totally normal given the situation.

I think most of us would be a bit creeped out by it all during clinicals--espeically the FIRST day of clinicals. I have no idea how coroners can handle that stuff! More than likely, it is something you will adjust to the more you become familiar with it.

I also think it's normal to have situations happen in which you later think "Am I really cut out to be a nurse?" You have to remember....you are new at this stuff, so it is going to be shocking &/or emotional. Just work through it the best that you can.

FranEMTnurse, CNA, LPN, EMT-I · Oct 25, 2003

Good reply Jennerizer.:)

My first experience with a dead person was when I was a nurses aide forty years ago. ( Back then nurses aides didn't have to be certified.) I was working in a local nursing home. After I completed personal care on a bed ridden resident, I left to care for another one. When I returned to his room, what I saw just about :eek: shocked the white stockings off of me. There he laid, eyes wide open, staring at the ceiling with his mouth wide open. I can still envision him forty years later.

Since then I have had numerous experiences with death. All affected me in different ways, including four students who were passengers on my bus when I was a school bus driver. All made me feel a loss.

My favorite three rotations when I was in nursing school were in order 1 to 3.

First was Mother/Baby/ OB/GYN nursing. I absolutely adored handling those little munchkins. Especially when it came to teaching the new parents how to bathe their newborn. And I was equally impressed and excited at witnessing actual births. I'm pleased to say, "I hold our school record for witnessing the number of births in one day. (6) one was a set of triplets born via c-section. I witnessed 8 births in all while in school, and assisted a gynechologist in the birth of one of the babies.

Since then, I have also witnessed the birth of my oldest granddaughter, and held my youngest grandchild immediately after she was born.

My second favorite area is the OR. It was absolutely fascinating to see how fearfully and wonderfully made we all are, and how the physicians and nurses fix the broken parts.

And, my third favorite is the ER. When I told that to one of my instructors, she was :eek: shocked. But emergency care was one area I had a lot of experience in. I was an EMT for eighteen years, and a CPR and First Aid Instructor for 135 fellow employees of the bus company I worked for. In addition, I also assisted with teaching EMTs in their practical training.

I learned that the most important thing in order not to get rattled in an emergency situation, was to ALWAYS remember, ABC (primary assessment) first. After that was taken care of, then do the secondary assessment. I was fascinated with how valuable that knowledge became, and added to proper triage assessment when that was needed.:)

I do hope you will have many good experiences as a nurse.

Sincerely,

One nurse to a future nurse,

Jennerizer, ASN, RN · Oct 26, 2003

After replying to this post on Thursday, I had my first experience of post-mortem care on Friday. It was an older man & he had come down from the ICU floor to die. What I found surprising though...no one knew what time he died. No one checked on him throughout the morning. He wasn't anyone in my clinical group's pt, so we weren't responsible, but it just amazed me how the regular nursing staff just ignored him & that he died all alone--in restraints. Seems like such a sad way to end a life.

nurse2be in ny · Oct 26, 2003

Jennerizer-What an absolutely awful way to die. That makes me feel so sad.