We don't think about this much but we see tragedy every day as ER nurses.We almost get used it. Some are worse than others. Some stay with you and haunt you. You think about the person for days afterwards.
There are two kinds of tragedies: Those that happen to people through no fault of their own and those that happen because of stupid choices in life. The inclination would be to feel more sorry for those that happen to people at random. In the end, its all the same for whatever reason it happens. The person will suffer. The family and friends will suffer.
One thing about being an ER nurse, you really just how unfair life really is. You realize how much a lot of people are suffering in this world. Its reality and it hits you in the face on a daily basis.
How do we, as nurses, cope with it? I've been doing this a long time and I wonder how I have lasted so long considering all the bad stuff you see. Most of it I leave at the door when I go home. I've developed the ability to let it go, maybe put it in a box. I think people in ERs use humor a lot to get through. We develop tough exteriors as a way of protecting ourselves. That's only natural.
The thing is there are those cases that stay with you for a while. Eventually you let them go too. You just hope for the best for that person and their family. Its all you can do.
This was a great blog. I'm still in the learning process of finding a way to compartmentalize some tragedies while making sure I don't become emotionally numb.
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