Working in a hospital or other healthcare workplaces means that
you will potentially be tending to patients who are sick or dying. Tending to
the same patients often can create bonds between the two of you that become quite special. Some patients can become like
family to you after some time, which can make dealing with their death
difficult for you.
The inevitability of death can be hard to come to terms with. The reaction you have to the first
death you deal with will influence how you react in the future. It is hard not
to feel like you did in your first experience, but it is important to stay strong.
Related: What Can You Do with a Ph.D. in Nursing?
It is Your Job
Losing people is unfortunate; however, it is part of the
job. If you feel grief, it means you are doing your job right. However, it is
still not ideal to let the feeling of sadness
consume you. You have to remember that this is your job and not your life.
Empathy is a powerful tool to have as a nurse, but it can also cause things to be
more painful. Do not let your patient's death become too personal.
It is OK to Feel
Rationalizing away your sadness is not healthy. Let yourself
feel your sadness and confusion. Anger and disappointment are good to feel as well. Whatever your feelings may be,
you have to remain professional. You also have to be able to care for other
patients, if the death occurs during your shift. Embrace your feelings, but
make sure to do it in a healthy way.
Do not let your feelings become debilitating. If you let
your feelings become debilitating, it can affect your work and your personal
life. It is OK to feel painful emotions, but let them wash over you
and not drown you.
It is Good to Talk
Talking to someone about the death you experienced can
always help. Death is something that is very common in the field of healthcare.
You are surrounded by those who have
experienced what you are experiencing; therefore, having someone else to tell
your feelings to can help you take the load off of your shoulders that is
weighing you down.
Related: Everything You Need to Know About Nurses
Related: Everything You Need to Know About Nurses
It Happens
Going over every moment with a patient and trying to figure
out what went wrong will not help you to cope with their death. There was
nothing you could have done to prevent it, no matter how much you tell yourself
that you could've done more.
You are Making a
Difference
You are involved in an amazing industry. Every day you make
a difference in someone's life. You can now care for your patient's family
members and help them through the pain of the loss of their loved one.
What You Should Know
Coping with a patient's death can be difficult, but there
are ways to do it. Talking to others and remembering that death is a fact of
life can help to alleviate the grief you may be feeling. You are a part of the
cycle of life and have to witness it firsthand every day.
Treating patients will always be an amazing experience, and
you can make their family's loss a less painful one by talking it through. Take
what you have learned and use it in the future. Dealing with your first death
is hard as a nurse, but you are not alone.
There are always ways to cope with death.
Related: International Nurses Association
Related: International Nurses Association
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