How to Deal with a Patient’s Death as a Nurse?
Dec 2, 2014 | 8:00 am
Nurses see a multitude of emergencies daily. Sometimes it is just hard to see, but when a nurse has to involve themselves in patient care of those people, it can become even more difficult for them.
Nurses Dealing with Death
A nurse who works in a burn center might deal with a family who lost their home to a devastating fire. What if that family had seven children and only one survived and the healthcare team is now diligently working to save that child’s life that has burns over 70% of her body? No matter how hard they work, the child dies. Rowena Orosco, RN, Johns Hopkins Bayview Burn Center in Baltimore dealt with just an event. She got through her day, but afterwards, says she was ready to quit. She states, “You kind of have to put your emotions aside because there are others waiting for you.” After that day, the team attended a debriefing and they exchanged tears and hugs and talked with each other to help them deal with the event.
Nurses go through a unique grieving process. It is thought that nurses as a whole cope better with death than do other colleagues. Sometimes, they may go through a guilt process if they believe they did not do enough to help save the patient. Many might even become angry.
Tina Brunelli, RN, CSN, MSN, ANP-C with Novant Health in Kentucky stated, “We feel that when people die, it does not affect our care, which is absolutely ludicrous because we are human too.”
The Houston Chronicle says that the bond that develops between nurses and their patients is often strong because patients rely on their nurses for emotional and physical support.
Coping Strategies for Nurses Dealing with Death
Some nurses will do things to help them cope. Some of them will feel the need to bring the family food, attend funerals, post obituaries, pray or pull strength through faith. Others will exercise or take a hot bath.
They learn their limits and those who have learned to take better care of themselves may turn down that extra shift. Caring for themselves after a traumatic event helps them prevent risks such as burnout, moral distress or compassion fatigues.
Some nurses might use humor to deal with death; however, they must be very careful when doing this. They do not want to offend others or upset others such as family members or other healthcare professionals.
There is no easy way to deal with death. Nurses come into contact with many things in their careers and dealing with death is part of the job. This is why it is said that nursing is not for everyone. Not only is it a demanding line of work, but also a nurse is exposed diseases, odors and sights that many do not have the system to handle. They learn to cope, but they will also tell you that the rewards for being able to make a difference and save lives is precisely why they do what they do.