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Nursing is a career made for people who genuinely care for others. As a nurse, you鈥檒l get to help people get back on their feet and cheer them on along the way. Unfortunately, you鈥檒l also be faced with tragedy and loss. At some point you鈥檒l have to deal with the death of a patient.

Everyone copes differently with the loss of a patient, but it鈥檚 important for nurses to address those emotions the right way so they don鈥檛 develop compassion fatigue. That鈥檚 when you experience a combination of physical, emotional and spiritual effects after taking care of patients suffering from physical and mental pain.^{1听听听听听听} It can hit you at different stages in your career, but usually it happens when you experience a patient death. To help deal with the effects of a patient death, nurses need to take steps to deal with the losses and difficult situations they run into every day.

Prepare yourself

You spend your days monitoring vital signs, administering medications and helping patients get better, so you鈥檒l know better than most how your patient is doing. If you realize at some point a patient鈥檚 condition is deteriorating significantly, continue to help them as best you can while preparing yourself for what might happen. Death isn鈥檛 easy, but it鈥檒l be even harder if you refuse to accept the facts. You won鈥檛 always know when a patient is near the end, but if you do, you can prepare yourself mentally and spiritually.

Know anything can happen

Sometimes a patient鈥檚 death will come without warning, or you might think the patient is doing better but all of a sudden, they鈥檝e passed away. In situations like these it can be tough to prepare yourself, but you need to know that unfortunate things can happen. By knowing anything can happen, and sometimes patients who seem to be getting better don鈥檛 make it, you鈥檒l mentally prepare yourself as much as possible before something happens.

Talk with the family

Once a patient passes, it can be helpful for the loved ones of the patient and the nurse to talk over what happened and why. This can be a good time to express any feelings you may have. Make sure you tell them that you’re sorry for their loss.聽Answer any questions they have, and direct any questions you can鈥檛 answer to the doctor. Find out if they need anything from you before you leave the bedside. Many people won鈥檛 know what to ask for, but offering to help will make sure they know you did everything you could.

Be ready to give the loved ones some space, and remember you鈥檙e seeing them at one of the hardest moments of their lives. Pay attention to your instincts. If you think it鈥檚 best to leave, then you should leave. But always come back to make sure all their questions are answered. Make sure you check with your employer to find out their policies for talking with patients鈥� families. You鈥檒l want to be clear on any specific procedures they might have.

Learn to leave work at work

It isn鈥檛 easy, but when you leave work at the end of the day try to leave what happened there at the office. Sometimes it helps to work out, read a book or take a drive to clear your head. Everyone is different, and it鈥檚 important to find something that works for you. It鈥檚 important to take care of you, the nurse.

Reach out to Employee Assistance聽Programs

If you鈥檙e having a hard time keeping your emotions in check or notice your stress is impacting other areas of your life, ask for help. Check with your employer to see what kind of support they offer. Employee assistance programs, or EAPs, are great resources to help you get in touch with counselors, therapists and support groups. Many health care professionals have trouble dealing with the death of a patient. EAPs are designed to help you with whatever you need. According to the American Nurses Association, you can find out what EAP you have access to by contacting your state nurses associations or the state boards of nursing.²

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¹“Compassion Fatigue: A Nurse’s Primer” The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing, January 2011. ²“Impaired Nurse Resource Center” Nursing World,