Not taking work home with you

[runner11]

How do you dump off your day at the hospital door?

I find this challenging. Not just on particularly challenging days, but even on days when I take care of a very ill patient who touched me. I go home thinking about how sad it was and take on all the emotional burden of it.

I'm getting better, but would love to hear what the rest of you do

[zacarias, ASN, RN]

I know it's hard. I'm looking to find ways to leave work at work too. I mean, I dream of work and problem situations. I asked one charge nurse and she says that she never dreams of work and she hopes it doesn't get that bad. That made me feel really good...hehe

[noc_owl]

Most days I can leave work at the hospital, but there are times when a certain patient or situation will really get to me and I will think about it for a long time.

I think what has helped me is finding something to take my mind off of work when I get home. A little bit of unwinding time. Sometimes I read, I love getting into a good book. If the weather is nice I like to go in the yard with the kids and play baseball or soccer. Even finding a funny TV show will take my mind off things for a while. Just enough to distance from the events of the workday.

[P_RN, ADN, RN]

Yes and I still hear the pumps beeping in my sleep. I hear the operator saying visiting hours are now over. Please leave the building quietly.

Sometimes when you have had a rough one and the patient really did have what you suggested to the doc.....like a pulm embolism, I can take that home and put it in my good feeling box.

I piked up a few of those too.

Most of what goes home is the interaction between staff. Sometimes you want to wring a neck or two and someimes ou want to go out and celebrate. That memory goes in the box too. It's a virtual box but it's lovely in my mind.

[runner11]

Thanks for your replies. I'm glad I'm not the only one who struggles with this. I appreciated the reminder that most days we go home with good thoughts too.