What's the saddest thing you've seen in your career??

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How did it affect you and how do you cope with emotionally challenging situations?

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Specializes in ED.

I think pretty much all of us would have some pretty bad stories to tell. The important thing is to take yourself out of the situation emotionally as much as you can (that doesn't mean emotionally unavailable, but not saying to yourself "gee thats just like such and such in my life, or he looks just like so and so"). Excersise, eat right, sleep, find a good hobby, hug your family and tell them you love them every night. If a really bad incident happens you can go for a walk for about 10 min to clear your head.

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People who try to kill themselves with a shotgun by placing the barrel in their mouth, then when they lean to the side to reach the trigger, blow off half their face...and live. Saw too many of these.

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Specializes in Med/Surg.

As a sitter i used to sit with the suicidal clients a lot. its a cross between a guy who stabbed himself and had multiple surgeries inorder to get him stable enough to transfer to the psych unit, and a guy who hung himself, when they cut him down, he fell and broke his femur and ended up in the icu. he lived, but i have no idea what happened to him. i admit i think about both of these men a lot, and i cope by telling myself that i did everything i could for them. I also talk about it with my mother, who is very understanding.

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Specializes in Pediatric/Adolescent, Med-Surg.

I've seen a lot of sad cases in my short couple years. Seeing a young person dying all ways brings tears to my eyes.

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Specializes in RN, BSN, CHDN.

Seeing a 40 week dead baby on USS nothing will ever come close to that feeling and the sadness involved, especially when you know the baby was alive and kicking several hours earlier.

I was a midwife and wasnt cut out for the heartache

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People who try to kill themselves with a shotgun by placing the barrel in their mouth, then when they lean to the side to reach the trigger, blow off half their face...and live. Saw too many of these.

oh my...

i can't even imagine what their lives are like now.

not only the depression that led them to attempted suicide, but now living semi-faceless.

God.

leslie

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Specializes in ICU.

I worked ER for a few months before going to ICU. This is one of the reasons why I went to ICU. .. I wrote this poem about it a few months later.....

I've posted it on here before,, but, I thought I would do it again. It is the saddest thing I've seen since I've become a nurse.

The parents left the children in the car while shopping.. the car started rolling and the kids jumped out.. the girl was 5 years old... Mom and dad were the typical type of parents that probably left their kids in the care A LOT. This time, it was not okay and it had a terrible ending.

The little girl with the pink shoe laces.

I'll never forget you, how you layed there that day

Looking perfect except for a scratch on your shoulder

and a little black mark on your face.

You layed there quietly while all the grown ups gathered round.

We stuck a tube in your mouth and needles in your arms.

We pounded on your little chest,

With the palm of my hand I pushed on your heart,

Thinking the whole time, Oh dear God, why are you

Taking this beautiful angel away from the world?

Tears rolled down my face as I took off your shoes,

Thinking about how your mother must have tied the double knot

In your little pink shoe laces.

Just hours before, I'm sure she could have never knew

What was about to happen, it couldn't be true.

How will your mother sleep tonight, and

your little sister who doesn't understand,

"will she have a phone in heaven?"

Is what she asks.

As I break down and hug her

I know I will never forget how a little angel

With pink shoe laces made me feel that day.

And I will never forget each moment of your fateful last hours.

And your little pink shoe laces.

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Specializes in Med Surg, Ortho.

I've seen young people that have tried to commit suicide, they

lived through it and are a lot worse off.....physically and mentally.

Also, people under age 50 that have had strokes that left them

very physically disabled. Very sad.

Strokes at any age is probably the worst and saddest

thing I've seen, so far. And so preventable.

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Specializes in Cardiac Telemetry, ED.

Little old people who really should be DNR, but who are Full Code per the wishes of their family members. Being coded is not a nice way to die.

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Specializes in Geriatrics, Home Health.

My pedi rotation was in an LTC facility for congitively-impaired children. All had a mental age of less than 12 months; the median mental age was 3 months. Some were born that way, but the saddest ones were the ones who ended up that way because of accidents, near-drowning, or abuse. One was the product of rape; her mother was comatose in LTC, and died during delivery.

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Specializes in Emergency, Trauma, Flight.

i have seen many sad things in my life...and my job... but there is one thing that i will never forget.... i was working flight.. and staff ER.. our hospital utilized us when we were not on a flight to work the department... anyway...

we got called for a major mva.. we took off... got to the scene and there was a family of 3 in the car that had been plowed by a drunk truck driver..

the dad was pretty much DOA. the mom was a mess but alive.. and the little girl just had a bad tib/fib fracture.. we flew the mom and 5 yr old girl back to the hospital... after we got there we were doing some very crazy things trying to save this mom... she was a train wreck.. at the same time.. we were taking care of the little girl in the next room... well.. long story short... the mom didn't make it, and the father was already gone.. they were from out of state just on vacation.. i was the only one that the little girl trusted cause i kept her calm during the flight.... anyway... the doctor would not talk to the little girl and tell her what was up... made me do it.....

i had to tell this little scared beautiful little red head green eyed girl that her parents were dead and that it would be over a day before her grandparents would be there.. she was very scared... she had to have surgery on her leg and no family or anyone she knew in the world there except for me....

well... i stayed w/her... i even scrubbed in on her surgery... i helped her wake up in the PACU... i transported her to her room.. and i stayed w/her until her grandparents showed up that next afternoon.... it was very very sad...

but... on a better note...

that little girl is still one of my friends...we still keep in touch.. she is going to college studying for med school... she is one of my best friends... and she has recently asked me to walk her down the isle during her wedding in a few months!!! :)

:cool:

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