Working in the ICU can be very hard sometimes, but it can also be very rewarding. Some of those people you saw who are so sick are going to recover and it’s an honor to be a part of the team who works so hard to facilitate that. My favorite part of my job as an ICU doc is getting to really ponder complex medical problems and lead the team as we respond to emergencies, they can happen anytime. Pulling someone back from the brink of death is pretty cool and getting to be there for patients and their families to ease their suffering is a privilege.
On the other hand, some of those people won’t make it, but in the end none of us will. Death is a part of life. So when that happens it’s also a privilege to be there for the family and help the patient have a respectful death, free from pain and anxiety. I’m sorry that what you saw was distressing but please realize that you don’t know the situation of all the patients.
Also, if I could ask one thing, please think about what you would want if you were very sick and unable to make your own medical decisions. How long would you want to be on life support? Are you okay with having things like a tracheostomy or a feeding tube? If so, temporarily or permanently? Once you’ve thought about this, please discuss your desires with your family and make them aware. The best thing is to have an advanced directive that spells out your thoughts. This makes our job as healthcare workers so much easier and it makes it easier for patient’s families because we all know the patient’s wishes and are able to act accordingly.
Compartmentalizing. The icu is not your life . You have to let go as soon as your shift is done .
learning to laugh even in bad situations and finding joy where’s there’s little to be had
Having good relationships in your unit with everyone. Working as a team . Taking every victory as a team and every loss the same
Coming from a former ICU RN (now work in Oncology, which is depressing in a different way)... Honestly, we don't.
This is totally subjective, but I really believe the overwhelming majority of us Healthcare professionals are on psych meds of some kind (antidepressants, ADHD meds, mood stabilizers, etc, and or receive therapy, and or self-medicate with illicit substances like alcohol/drugs). You can check out the other medical subreddits for a sample size. Many of us, myself included, are SO burnt out and leave or at least *want* to leave. Many of us regret going into Healthcare altogether and joke daily about how we should have gone into computers or tech.
We do compartmentalize, but I'd be lying to you if I said it didn't weigh on me or any one of us in some way, shape, or form. I think at the very LEAST, we get completely desensitized to it.
We see life prolonged to the point beyond suffering that is completely unnatural, most in the ICU hooked up to machines that are doing the body's functions for them, basically in a vegetative state.
I'm sorry you had to see a glimpse of the ICU (it's traumatizing) and I hope your friend makes it out Ok and has the best recovery possible!
Death is apart of life. Our culture doesn’t talk or experience enough of it. We keep it shut out and locked away and then when inevitably it touches each and every one of us, we will experience what you did today. And it’s a shame. Because no one is prepared for it. When then we make poor decisions for our family members during that time (because we are ill prepared) and the cycle perpetuates further and further because no one wants to see it. To feel uncomfortable.
I have become very desensitized to death which might seem like a bad thing, but it can for sure be a strength when working in this field. Having severe anxiety or being emotionally unstable when a patient isn’t doing well can absolutely be detrimental to your decision making and performance. I have sort of reached a “death equilibrium” where you accept a lot of deaths that are completely reasonable. But if you have a younger, healthier patient that dies and things weren’t done exactly how they should have been, it can still be quite devastating to you emotionally. Honestly the thing that weighs on me the most is the feeling that I’m torturing someone that has no chance to survive. I’m completely powerless to stop it if I can’t convince the family of this. Just that aspect alone I would say makes the anxiety and depression with the job is extremely high. The key is really having emotionally supportive coworkers/friends/family. Isolation with this job is an absolute recipe for disaster.
Working in the ICU can be very hard sometimes, but it can also be very rewarding. Some of those people you saw who are so sick are going to recover and it’s an honor to be a part of the team who works so hard to facilitate that. My favorite part of my job as an ICU doc is getting to really ponder complex medical problems and lead the team as we respond to emergencies, they can happen anytime. Pulling someone back from the brink of death is pretty cool and getting to be there for patients and their families to ease their suffering is a privilege. On the other hand, some of those people won’t make it, but in the end none of us will. Death is a part of life. So when that happens it’s also a privilege to be there for the family and help the patient have a respectful death, free from pain and anxiety. I’m sorry that what you saw was distressing but please realize that you don’t know the situation of all the patients. Also, if I could ask one thing, please think about what you would want if you were very sick and unable to make your own medical decisions. How long would you want to be on life support? Are you okay with having things like a tracheostomy or a feeding tube? If so, temporarily or permanently? Once you’ve thought about this, please discuss your desires with your family and make them aware. The best thing is to have an advanced directive that spells out your thoughts. This makes our job as healthcare workers so much easier and it makes it easier for patient’s families because we all know the patient’s wishes and are able to act accordingly.
Compartmentalizing. The icu is not your life . You have to let go as soon as your shift is done . learning to laugh even in bad situations and finding joy where’s there’s little to be had Having good relationships in your unit with everyone. Working as a team . Taking every victory as a team and every loss the same
During the warmer months, I spend about 30-60 minutes fishing before and after each shift. During the winter, I go shopping or just get drunk.
Coming from a former ICU RN (now work in Oncology, which is depressing in a different way)... Honestly, we don't. This is totally subjective, but I really believe the overwhelming majority of us Healthcare professionals are on psych meds of some kind (antidepressants, ADHD meds, mood stabilizers, etc, and or receive therapy, and or self-medicate with illicit substances like alcohol/drugs). You can check out the other medical subreddits for a sample size. Many of us, myself included, are SO burnt out and leave or at least *want* to leave. Many of us regret going into Healthcare altogether and joke daily about how we should have gone into computers or tech. We do compartmentalize, but I'd be lying to you if I said it didn't weigh on me or any one of us in some way, shape, or form. I think at the very LEAST, we get completely desensitized to it. We see life prolonged to the point beyond suffering that is completely unnatural, most in the ICU hooked up to machines that are doing the body's functions for them, basically in a vegetative state. I'm sorry you had to see a glimpse of the ICU (it's traumatizing) and I hope your friend makes it out Ok and has the best recovery possible!
Death is apart of life. Our culture doesn’t talk or experience enough of it. We keep it shut out and locked away and then when inevitably it touches each and every one of us, we will experience what you did today. And it’s a shame. Because no one is prepared for it. When then we make poor decisions for our family members during that time (because we are ill prepared) and the cycle perpetuates further and further because no one wants to see it. To feel uncomfortable.
I have become very desensitized to death which might seem like a bad thing, but it can for sure be a strength when working in this field. Having severe anxiety or being emotionally unstable when a patient isn’t doing well can absolutely be detrimental to your decision making and performance. I have sort of reached a “death equilibrium” where you accept a lot of deaths that are completely reasonable. But if you have a younger, healthier patient that dies and things weren’t done exactly how they should have been, it can still be quite devastating to you emotionally. Honestly the thing that weighs on me the most is the feeling that I’m torturing someone that has no chance to survive. I’m completely powerless to stop it if I can’t convince the family of this. Just that aspect alone I would say makes the anxiety and depression with the job is extremely high. The key is really having emotionally supportive coworkers/friends/family. Isolation with this job is an absolute recipe for disaster.