Grief and Oncology Nursing - 1179 Words

Grief and Oncology Nursing My earliest experiences of observing nursing in action occurred during my last two years of high school. My father was diagnosed with cancer during the spring of my junior year and died right before my senior year. During that short time I watched as the nurses cared for him and I could see compassion and empathy in the way they looked at him. It never occurred to me until after I had raised my children that I wanted to be able to help people in the same way those nurses helped my dad. But now when I tell people that I want to be an oncology nurse, people often respond by saying that they would never choose that type of nursing. They say that they could not stand to watch their patients die so frequently.†¦show more content†¦But this may be what is necessary to begin the grieving process. In a case study published in the journal RN, the authors tell about a program designed to meet the unique needs of oncology nurses. This program was imple mented at St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee. As a part of the program, the staff members who have cared for a patient are allowed to participate in a bedside memorial service. After the patient’s family has left the hospital, the chaplain will conduct a service for any of the employees who cared for that patient (Puckett, Hinds Milligan, 1996). This would help nurses to accomplish the first of the four tasks of mourning-to accept the loss. The second of the four tasks of mourning is to experience the pain of grief rather than to avoid that pain and keep moving. In order to provide high quality care to patients, a healthcare worker must be empathetic. This requires the nurse to be open to the emotional needs of patients and their families. As nurses participate in these patient’s struggles to survive and their inability to win the battle, they will inevitably be emotionally involved. That is just a natural human reactio n. Two of the doctors in the study of Greek healthcare workers talked about having to deal with the pain of loss. One physician said that he would go to his office forShow MoreRelatedexperiences of nurses grief after patient death1332 Words   |  6 Pagesï » ¿ Experience of Grief Following Patient Death: A Concept Analysis Karen D. Panganiban Resurrection University Abstract This is a concept analysis on the experiences of grief of registered nurses in the fields of oncology, pediatric ICU and adult ICU after a patient dies. The paper describes the reactions of nurses and how they are able to cope with grief. It also discussed the available resources that they use within their institution in response to the death of the patient. TheRead MoreCompassion Fatigue in Pediatric Oncology Nurses Essay1282 Words   |  6 PagesPediatric oncology nurses are given the unique opportunity to make connections and build long-term relationship with their patients and families. 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