How often do you engage with or witness death in your work? How has this experie
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How often do you engage with or witness death in your work? How has this experience or the lack of it shaped your view of death? Has it gotten easier or harder for you to accept the fact of death? As you explain, include your clinical specialty.
example 1 Melena
Working in health care I have been exposed to death many times. Prior to working in health care, I was exposed to death when a family member or friend passed away. Currently, I am a nursing student and I am not exposed to death as often. When I was working in the nursing home as a certified nursing assistant, I had patients I cared for pass away in front of me. Working in the hospital, I experienced the same. Each death was hard to witness and be exposed to. This experience made me view death differently, especially if I saw the patient suffering and in pain. I view death as an end to their suffering. Death is a release from and an end of all pain (Hoehner, 2020). I do not accept the fact of death. I feel God created all human beings in his image to be happy and as a reflection of God’s character. I know death is the result of the fall. What would life be like if the fall didn’t happen? How would human life be? Would humans live forever?
Hoehner, P. (2020). Practicing dignity: An Introduction to Christian Values and Decision Making in Health Care. Lc.gcumedia.com. https://lc.gcumedia.com/phi413v/practicing-dignity-an-introduction-to-christian-values-and-decision-making-in-health-care/v1.1/#/chapter/4
example 2 David
Death is a universal and inevitable outcome of life (Hoehner, 2020). As of right now I am not currently working. However, when I was working as a CNA last year and even during clinical I engaged with death a few times. Two of the times I encountered a patient death happened on the same morning during my CNA clinical experience. It was my second day as a new CNA gaining clinical experience before I started working. The morning began immediately with two patients who had just passed away before the shift change. I helped the CNA preceptor clean and position the patient’s body for her family to visit. After the family visited, we then covered the body and took the body down to the morgue. A few of my fellow CNA students helped with the second patient who passed and we repeated the same process.
Another instance was during a nursing internship in the emergency room at a different hospital. The patient had coded about 30 minutes prior to arriving at the ER. Unfortunately, after an additional 15 minutes of CPR (for a total of 45 minutes) the time of death was called. In this instance, I helped rotate in for compressions when the patient arrived. These experiences, especially the latter, were very intense in the moment and really put into perspective what medical staff mentally and emotionally deal with in their field of work. Death can be both sudden and a slower process. It has made me think about my life and how fragile and short it can be. It has become easier to accept that death is a fact but no easier to think about it for me. I can’t imagine that it will never be unsettling to think about my own life. There are times however when it seems easier to handle than others. My plan for nursing is to start in the ED and make my way around the hospital in the coming years. Starting in the ED will surely be intense and I will have my fair share of death experiences. I do not look forward to it per se, but I look forward to learning how to better prepare myself and react in those situations.
Reference:
Hoehner, P. (2020). Practicing dignity: An Introduction to Christian Values and Decision Making in Health Care. Lc.gcumedia.com. https://lc.gcumedia.com/phi413v/practicing-dignity-an-introduction-to-christian-values-and-decision-making-in-health-care/v1.1/#/chapter/4
example 3 yessenia
Death is a subject that many individuals try to avoid because of the sadness and negativity that surrounds it. Before thinking of becoming a nurse, I made myself aware that witnessing death will be a part of my job at some point. As stated by Hoehner (2020), health care workers are trained to use medical science as interventions to push back against death. I currently do not work as an RN, but I am completing my externship in the Surgical ICU/Trauma, where I witnessed death for the first time. This happened during my first shift, it was an overnight shift where an 18-year-old came in due to a stab wound; he suffered a liver laceration, and he was hemorrhaging. After unsuccessful medical interventions, the patient passed away. I was observing during my first shift and although I did not have direct contact with the patient during that time, I had not witnessed a life ending in front of me before. Prior to starting my externship in the unit, I tried to mentally prepare myself and have a strong mind, and that’s what I did. I am someone who isn’t afraid of death or to witness death, but it did sadden me. I do not think I will ever forget the scene, his body lying on the bed, his distended abdomen, his clothes drenched in blood that it turned the clear bag dark. I accept that life and people are temporary and so my view of death remains the same; it will happen to everyone, at any time. I can say that witnessing end-of-life care and death has made me appreciate living in the moment and being grateful for every life experience.
Reference:
Hoehner, P. (2020). Practicing dignity: An Introduction to Christian Values and Decision Making in Health Care. Lc.gcumedia.com. https://lc.gcumedia.com/phi413v/practicing-dignity-an-introduction-to-christian-values-and-decision-making-in-health-care/v1.1/#/chapter/4
