How To Cope With Losing Patients As A Nurse

Every nurse has to deal with patient death at some point in their career. Nurses deal with patient death differently. Do you want to discover the best ways to cope with patient death as a nurse? Keep reading this post to learn how to cope with losing patients as a nurse.

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As a nurse, facing the death of a patient is inevitable. Learning to cope with such loss is essential. When patients die, it will be painful, sometimes hurtful, but it is part of being a nurse. As you progress in your nursing career, you will be more experienced in coping with patient death. 

5 Best Way Nurse Can Cope With Losing Patients 

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Each nurse's response to patient death will be unique. Every nurse should cope with grief from a patient's death in their own way. You might be tempted to discard your feelings when dealing with a patient's death. However, it is essential to sit with your feelings so you can grow away from them. Here are five ways for nurses to cope with losing patients.

Feel Your Feelings 

As a nurse, you may want to rationalize the death of a patient when it happens. You may try to suppress your feelings about the situation. Suppressing your emotions is not psychologically healthy. It is dangerous to hold it all in when you experience patient loss. You must maintain professionalism and be composed when a patient dies during your shift. However, you are allowed to feel sad, angry, or disappointed. Whatever you think is okay, so long it is not debilitating to your role as you serve other patients.

Peer Support 

One of the best ways for nurses to cope with patient death is by talking to someone about it. Your nursing colleagues are the best people to speak with about your grief. Peer support from a nursing colleague can provide objective insight into the situation. They understand how you may be feeling and will be able to support you through the problem. Speaking with a nurse mentor or experienced nurse can also help. They can share what has worked for them in similar situations.

Self-Compassion

Nurses often put the needs of other people before theirs. When dealing with the loss of a patient, do not forget to extend grace to yourself. When you feel guilty due to losing a patient, being kind to yourself can be a powerful tool to get over the situation. You can practice self-compassion as a nurse by thinking about a loved one and telling yourself what you will say to them in a similar situation.

Learn From The Situation 

After a patient's death, you may start to scrutinize your moments with the patient until death. You may feel guilty about times you were distracted or impatient. This may cause you to wonder what you could have done differently. As a nurse, you cannot be perfect. Death happens to the most attentive nurses. You can give yourself this reminder after the death of a patient. Blaming yourself is not a helpful coping mechanism. However, you can learn things from the situation that will make you a better nurse.

Remember Your Purpose

As a nurse, one of your purposes is to serve your patient's family. A patient's death does not signal the end of care for them. Whatever you feel after the loss of a patient, your patient's family feels much more. As a nurse, you are likely one of the first people your patient's family will encounter after the loss. Some of your most meaningful moments as a nurse may be while caring for suffering family members of your patient. You can tremendously impact their lives, which will help them. This impact will help you cope with the loss, too.

Conclusion 

Nurses have to deal with patient deaths throughout their careers. They do so differently. However, there are ways for nurses to cope with patient death. This post describes how nurses can cope with losing patients. For more tips like this, please visit our blog for nurses.