I'm kind of emotional too, so I completley understand your question. I haven't been nursing long, but before that always worked with patients in hospitals so have a fairly good take on what your worried about. I decided that it's pretty impossible not to "feel" when it comes to matters of peoples lives so have tried to just go with the flow. I take each day as it comes and each situation as it comes and have found I have good days and a few bad ones, but the end of the day I'm learning to ride with my feelings and emotions ~ for example, I worked for 2 months recently on the palliative ward and was fortunate to get aquainted with some amazing patients who were terminal and I became very fond of a few of them in particular. One reminded me of my MUM so much that I often felt very sad after finding out about her setbacks. I could also celebrate her good days though and would focus on that. I would drive home and 'debrief' myself , reminding myself that it wasnt my job to save these people but just help them have a good day. My motto was, and is, that I give all my patients as good a day as I can offer and in that, I am helping them.
That makes me less sad, and not take to heart to much that so much is out of my control. Working in a hospital we are not in the health industry really, but in an illness industry, so it's kind of a misnomer. I've cried about a few of my patients but I think that's healthy... and I've hugged co-workers who've cried over patients. Being emotional isn't always a drawback, because it can help you have empathy.. as long as you can discipline yourself to contain them in the context of what you can and cannot control. Being a kind, caring and efficient nurse is how you can channel your feelings... having a heart is no drawback

cheri4evr and JennaJay- thanks for the advice. It's reassuring to know that I'm not the only one who can be emotional. Cheri- as far as the meds- I have tried a few times before to come off of them because I have severe fatigue when taking them (tried 5 different ones all with the same effect). I've never been able to come off them before b/c I immediately had setbacks. This time has felt completely different. I know that if I start having symptoms again that I will need to go back on the meds :) The last thing I need right now is to not be functioning to the best I can. This wek should be a big test for me- b/c I have a HUGE physiology exam. (our school has had seperate a&p- the finally realized that combining might be better but I am in the last class where it is seperate)
Thanks again everyone!

Cheri,
Actually I was on a very similar med a couple of years ago, it stopped working after awhile. The dr looked at lexapro but b/c I have hypertension they felt it might raise my b.p.
I know, it is amaizing how it cycles. Hopefully I will be off the medications for good. I am trying diet and exercise as well as stress management techniques (I know- we couldn't possibly have stress as students right?) So far so good. And so far my grades are doing well, we are 6 weeks into the ten week quarter and as of right now I have 3 A's and a B (in Phys)...

Christie- as far as the being emotional part goes, stress can do that to anyone, and it sounds as if you've had plenty of experience in that field. Remember too that nursing in and of itself is an emotional field. Having empathy for the people you are caring for is a must in this line of work, just don't let it overwhelm you. Use all of the resources that are available to you, and you will be an excellent nurse! Good luck to you in your endeavors!

Hi guys, this is my first time to ever write a post on NursingLink. I am a fresh graduate and boardpasser, and I actually have finished the IV Therapy training. Upon my completion of cases to finally acquire an IVT license, I was kind of affected by my patients' condition and reactions as well. Knowing that I am completing my cases in a public hospital, most of the patients are financially challenged. There was even a time when i almost felt like crying when i saw doctors trying to insert an IV cannula to a three-year-old. Oh dear, now i don't know if i really am fit to become a nurse. I don't even know how to handle my emotions. :-( This has been my problem since I had my first clinical experience as a nursing student. (Sigh)

christieb01 said:

Ok, let me first say I am in my 1st quarter of my actual nursing classes (not in clinicals yet). I guess I'm in the self doubt phase because I'm under alot of stress with classes and such. My question is: can I be a safe end effective nurse if I tend to be emotional? I guess maybe I won't know until I actually start caring for patients?
The reason I'm asking is b/c while watching some television shows and if it's a sad storyline I sometimes cry. Before anyone asks, I am in full "remission" from depression. I have been med-free for about a month and a half and I haven't felt this good in years. I did the same crying thing even when I was on meds.
Any advice would be great!
Thanks!

My service in the military makes a good example.

While serving in the military as a hospital corpsman (HM), I have been in many military medical situations, both as a patient and HM, where the general stance is to "buck up" and get over it (as a patient), or as an HM, to just get the job done. This mentality never quite registered with me. Each person in my care was "first" an individual in need of care. In the military, there are medical facilities where a "cattle drive" type health care mentality exists. You fix a piece of government property - each with a number. In medical cases, they happen to be human. If they don't work anymore, then get rid of them by terminating their status as a military member and send them home. Case and point, I was punished by my division officer for getting a sunburn on the beach. He said I just damaged government property - me. Yeah, I agree I was negligent, but I was in pain and how detached is that? I couldn't ever do that to someone. I saw each individual military member or their dependant as people who needed someone to care and really listen subjectively. One of several reasons I ended up separating myself from the naval service is because I have difficulty with the military mentality of that kind of robotic (heartless) medical care.

One other example I would like to share is when another member on board our ship suffered acute lower back pain. She had been in to see me for pain meds several times for back discomfort, w/o any prior history. Subjectively, she told me her division officer thought she was lazy and was just trying to get out of work. A day came when I received a "man down" call. I responded, and it was her. She was lying their in an awkward position and what appeared to be in acute pain. I immediately approached her and begun my primary assessment only to hear her division officer tell me to stand down. I ignored him. I was focused on my assessment. As I continued my assessment, he once again barked his order to cease my activity. I stood up and looked him straight in the eyes and said, "Sir!, as a corpsman in the United States Navy sworn under oath to protect and prevent further harm to...he cut me off and called security. I was more than confused. She was crying in agony, I became emotional feeling sorry for her. I wanted to help her, but it was all politics from there on. Her division officer was officer of the day, (OOD). The captain was not on board. He abused his power that day because he hated the fact he had a weak link in his division and made sure we knew. Everyone always talked about how he hated the fact that women were allowed to serve aboard certain seagoing warships. He told everyone in earshot that "this is why we shouldn’t allow women aboard ships!" Not even I as a subordinate HM could do anything about him or the incident. He thought she was faking or roll playing to get out of watch duty. I went to "captain's mast" and was punished for ignoring the order of a superior officer. If they say jump-then jump! The incident went under a long drawn out investigation. Talk about being emotional, I saw a psych counselor for that. I served out the rest of my sea duty time and opted out. I am not allowed to connect this incident with the ship I served upon due to confidential purposes and consequences of what happened to the officer-and no, it isn't the ship in the Avatar I display.

I know that these same attitudes exist on the civilian side as well, but at least I will have more opportunity to influence positive change wherever it happens. I shared my story to illustrate how emotion, though natural, must always be controlled especially in a working environment no matter how stressful.

Christy, all I can say is, having emotion, that is, feeling sympathetic, or perhaps from experience, feeling empathetic towards a particular patient's condition is natural. The patient/person senses a trust bond toward you as a healthcare professional. I always try to put myself in the patient's shoes. I would appreciate having someone care for me that was not afraid to be real. I can trust this kind of person. How many would agree that if robotic/machines were to co-exist, and to an extent even replace human intervention, we would lose a lot more patients? We need love. We need someone who understands emotional circumstance and cares. That is the bottom line.

Christy, you will do great! I would say “good luck” but you are not pursuing a career as a gambler in a city of “all that glitters”. Luck isn’t earned. A nursing degree is. You are applying yourself to be a servant to others. Your character will be constantly sharpened by the difficult challenges you face. Nursing is hard work that many in our society are not willing to do, and simply the fact that you are up for the challenge says a lot about your good character. You are an incredible asset to our society. Keep going! I know you will.

Though this post is extensive, I hope that in some way it has helped you and anyone else that struggles with healthcare emotion.

Chris

I think that if you are emotional it is an asset not a liability. One of the major things that separates nursing practice from other medical disciplines is our ability to care and connect with our patients. We often use this to help treat the whole person not just the physcal symptoms. You are right that you do have to be able to step back and think critically, but you also have to have an incredible bedside manner and some humor on top of it all. Being emotional is part of being a nurse and I think it is the reason many people choose nursing to begin with.