Emotional attitude??

Specialties NICU

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I am graduating in 21 days and have already been hired at Childrens Hospital in Cincinnati in the NICU. I am very excited to get started. The only thing I am really worried about now is how I will handle my emotions when I have a baby that doesn't make it. I have worked in oncology before school and not to sound heartless, but I sort of 'got used to it'? I hate the way that sounds but I quit going into the bathroom and crying after a while cause there were patients that still needed me to take care of them. But a baby? I just don't know how I will react to the parents especially. Any words of advise?

Congratulations on your forthcoming graduation and your new job! I have no experience with peds or neonates (my ICU patients wear the OTHER kind of diapers!) but I often wonder how you guys in PICU and NICU do it. I suppose like any other area you find the coping mechanism that works best for you and run with it. Good luck!

I don't have the answer...but to say...remember whose loss it really is.....and sometimes...all you can do is cry....and letting your patient see you cry can be very empathetic to them....

I don't know if I can help..but here goes... I work w/ peds in home health and..yes.. I do get attached.. Unfortunately I have experienced a couple of deaths..I found out it's okay to cry w/ the family.. because you were a big part of that child's life while taking care of him/ her too......

It's tough to say. I don't see as many deaths as I did with adults. It's not as bad as everyone thinks.

I think you know from the get go who will survive, so you don't get too attached.The big term babies are harder than the micros for me for some reason. Once in a while one will sneak up on you and you cry like anyone else will. Then you take care of your feeder/grower that is going home tomorrow after a long road and you are thankful.

There is no special way. I feel being that some of us work in areas that death is a common outcome you should have the tiime to grieve. We are human first and I wish the establishments see that. We feel just like the next person caring for a loved one. In NICU there are some real heart breaking outcomes not so much of the death but the quality of life they will or will not have because of this new technology of saving extremely small preemies. I can't say who should live or die that is not up to me. I do feel the parents should have to truth and not give anyone false hope. I notice this sometimes......

thank you all for the info. i passed my final today and had pinning ceremony tonight. i am so excited. and anxious to start in nicu. state boards next month and then im there in nicu. this is the best feeling and that the studying is now over. not even worried now about state boards just thrilled to have passed the final. thank you all so much.

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