#NurseLife

Coping With Death in the Workplace:

Coping With Death in the Workplace:

Coping With Death in the Workplace:

“Grief is the price we pay for love” - Queen Elizabeth II. This quote is something that resonates with me. As nurses, we care so strongly about our patients, we may care for these individuals for minutes to months, yet we create a bond unlike any other in these periods of time. Often our patients' passing will be peaceful and surrounded by family, and other times it is  traumatic and lonely. We may wonder, did we do everything we could? If I were a better nurse would they have pulled through? Did I miss something that could have been a warning sign? What if we intubated them even a minute fast? All of these what if’s can leave us distressed after a patient's passing, and can become something we bring home with us.


I’ve caught myself thinking about patients' deaths for days and weeks after they’ve happened wondering all of those same questions. I’ve cried in the bathroom after codes, and driven home in silence after shifts with a heavy heart. But all of these hard feelings remind me that I am human,  and nursing does not have to make me cold to death and sadness. 

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It’s Always Good to Take a Step Back!

It’s Always Good to Take a Step Back!

Often we look back at our past traumas. Those traumas can motivate us or deter us from accomplishing our goals, even the small ones. In nursing school, we could be so busy that we forget to step back and breathe. To step back and reflect. We have to reflect on the things we learn, but we also have to reflect on our mental health. What are your needs and wants? Because if we constantly neglect ourselves, it can show up in our personal lives, school lives, and work-life. I remember a time in the military I neglected my mental health for months. I am constantly being out in the field and getting the mission done. Then one day, when I didn't have to worry about the mission and getting things done.
I realized that I didn't have a handle on things I needed for my mental health. I was depressed, full of anxiety every day.

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