Posted by Gracie2 on January 23, 2002, at 22:54:23
In reply to Re: need some help....long but advice is needed.. thx, posted by jane d on January 23, 2002, at 1:05:28
I'm in the medical profession myself and understand completely about the stress and depression brought on by caring for patients, particularly if they are dieing. Most medical professionals have problems with a particular ailment or condition that might actually make them physically ill, even though they normally perform well in every other aspects of the job.
My own problem is that I cannot deal with seriously wounded children. Several years ago, I was unfortunate enough to be on duty alone in the radiology department when a terrible accident occurred close to the hospital. An entire family who had been "night-fishing" until 4am were driving home, and the father - who had been drinking- pulled the car onto the highway directly into the path of a speeding tractor-trailer. The kids on the stretcher unloaded from the ambulance - a 3-year-old boy and 4-year-old girl - did not resemble children so much as bleeding piles of hamburger. I was so horrified that I literally went into shock...I couldn't move, and I knew that I was going to pass out. Finally, one of the doctors grabbed me by the shoulders and shook me hard. "You're the only
x-ray tech here!" he yelled in my face. "If you don't snap out of it, these kids are going to die!" Somehow, I was able to put myself on auto-pilot long enough to do my job until the life-flight helicopter arrived and transported them to a children's hospital (the little boy was DOA).
By the time that the morning staff arrived a short time later, I was completely unhinged. I was sitting in the corner of the darkroom trying to wipe the blood from a stack of x-ray cassettes, crying so hard that I couldn't explain what happened. They cleaned me up and sent me home. Later on, I got a serious talking-to from the ER doctor who had been in charge. He said that prehaps I was not suited for trauma work and I agreed. Soon afterwards, I found a very good job at Shriner's Orthopedic Hospital, which has no emergency room. Although I spent a great deal of time watching very small children having major surgery, it didn't bother me because these children were not dieing, and the surgery being performed was to help them live better, more functional lives. It was an important distinction for me.The point is, there are many jobs and many aspects of nursing, and you should be able to find your own niche. If you don't like trauma or dealing with terminal patients, avoid the ER, ICU, Oncology and similiar areas. Work in a rehabilitation unit or a clinic or doctor's office. Of course, I am suggesting this only if you enjoy nursing. If you don't like it, I suggest you cut your losses and quit now, because there are few things worse than spending your lifetime working at a job that you hate.
As for smoking, try Nicotene patches and Nicorette gum. If that still doesn't work, decide on the amount of cigarettes that you will allow yourself to smoke each day...say, five...and simply refuse to let yourself smoke any more. You'll find that you "time" yourself to smoke when you most crave a cigarette, and eventually your body will adjust so that you don't suffer as much between "fixes", and you might even be able to drop a cigarette or two over time. This worked for me. Except when I drink beer.
-Gracie
poster:Gracie2
thread:17052
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/social/20020112/msgs/17131.html