Hello Allnurses folks,
A patient of mine died soon after I ended my shift. I have this strong feeling of guilt and I keep asking myself if I missed something. Was there something crucial that I should have picked up on? Could/should I have called a code? Should I have advocated for a transfer to critical care? On and on that crazy train goes.
Obviously I cannot provide a lot of specifics. Generally speaking, this pt was not well. Patient needed several major surgeries badly but was a poor candidate. Pt declined slowly and I had her for several shifts in a row, so it does not help that I was familiar with this patient and family.
Objectively, I know these things happen. Patients die. Patients can decline despite our best efforts. Even the doctors could not proceed with the care that this patient needed, so why do I think I could have done better and "saved" her?
I also worry what the next shift who relieved me thinks of my assessment skills. I am a relatively new RN. All reports of my job performance have been good, but there is always newbie jitters in the back of my head.
I guess I just needed to vent and get support. You guys get it.
How do you deal with these feelings?
Thanks everyone.