nursing student baptism by fire

Mystery5 · May 30, 2005

Has anyone ever had this happen? I was on my last day of clinical rotation at a hospital working with a patient who was preparing for discharge. I went in to get his vitals and while I was taking his pulse he crashed. Things escalated to a full code and he was rushed off to ICU. They told me I probably saved his life. Now for some reason I am really in a funk and I can't even bear to talk about the experience. Is it normal to feel this way?

Yes, there are specific events or patients that can emotionally overwhelm you as a nurse. A good thing to do is talk about it. Nursing is intense, there's a lot of suffering, and certain cases will deeply affect you at times, if you have at all of a sensitive nature.

Sounds like you'll be a great nurse.

SitcomNurse, BSN, MSN, EdD, RN · May 30, 2005

Has anyone ever had this happen? I was on my last day of clinical rotation at a hospital working with a patient who was preparing for discharge. I went in to get his vitals and while I was taking his pulse he crashed. Things escalated to a full code and he was rushed off to ICU. They told me I probably saved his life. Now for some reason I am really in a funk and I can't even bear to talk about the experience. Is it normal to feel this way?

Yes, this is not a COMMON ocurance, but as a nurse, these are the realitites we face. Serving lunch and before you know it, the person needs medical attention, not the hot meal you just served. Definately talk about it, with classmates, a supportive instructor, even your firends who are EMT's or nurses themselves. They can empathize with you better for dealing with a sudden crisis situation. It is normal to 'shut down' temporarily, but you can and will persevere if you think about hte good you have done for that person, and not the trauma of the moment. Talk about how you handled it, talk about what you did to help. Rmember he is alive because YOU were there. That is caring, that is nursing.

mommatrauma, RN · May 31, 2005

Absolutely...I remember my first code...i was an RN for about 4 days...i went in to roll a patient...i got called away after rolling him over...he was your typical non-verbal moaner....I went back into him to just make sure he was all straightened out only to find he was not breathing...and had no pulse....so code called, everyone in their brother to the room....I'm standing in the corner like someone just told me I would have to eat a cup of live maggots....The nursing supervisor was recording and looks around and asks who's the nurse for this patient...I sorta raised my hand like it had 100 lbs of weight attached to it....She just says ok then, never mind....I'm sure she figured I would be of no help at all....The patient did not survive, they figured he threw a big PE, so nothing we were doing was going to bring him back...I was so upset for about a month after that, I rolled NOONE!!! I had the techs do it...Anyway got over my phobia and here I am 10 years later and I could run a code by myself with my eyes closed....It gets better!! You live and learn!

jl_nurse · May 31, 2005

It is something you will never ever forget, but you did SAVE him. Remember that is why we became nurses...to help people!!! Congrats on graduating. I called my first code before my patient actually coded, she was intubated and put on the vent. Two days later, the ICU nurse called me and said you need to come down here. I ran downstairs where my patient was sitting up in bed. She said, thank you, I will always call you my angel, you saved my life. Then she hugged me....now its moments like that that make you cry, smile and have goose bumps!! Keep up the great work!!!

leopold · May 31, 2005

Thanks for all your input. I was feeling pretty bleak, did not know exactly what was going on in my head and freaking out a little cause I didn't know what it meant for my future. Overwhelmed is a very good word. I can handle overwhelmed. :)

TCASII, ADN · May 31, 2005

You sound luckier than a nursing student at the college I attend. She was on her last day as well, within days of becoming a full graduate. The nurse who was supervising here had a patient crash and needed help really bad. She handed the student a med to push IV, which was already established. The school policy is "No I.V. Meds", but everything else is pretty much fair game. She wanted to help and didn't even give the order from her super a thought as she pushed the med. I believe a doctor was right on scene as well. Anyhow, the patient came through the code fine and lived, but the student, regardless of it being her last day of clinicals, was kicked from the program. The nurse, from what I understand, was the only other person helping when the doctor ran in (ED I believe), and she was on the other side trying to do something else. The med was correct and no errors, just a violation of school policy in the heat of the moment.

SmilingBluEyes · May 31, 2005

Sounds to me as if you did very well. We have all had those "baptism by fire" moments as students and/or new grads. You are being tested and it would seem to me, you passed! Hang in there and keep up the great work.

Thunderwolf, MSN, RN · May 31, 2005

This is the reality of our field. Your response is not uncommon.