How do nurses stay so composed?
Some background- I (24F) have been in healthcare for the last 5 years as a phlebotomist and medical assistant. I’ve worked outpatient and inpatient, and I start nursing school this fall. My inpatient experience was probably the only regular exposure to more intense stuff, but I was just a phleb at 19 and was only in patient rooms for 5-10 min at a time. I’ve worked in outpatient surgery for 3 years now, so much different, lighter vibes.
A question I’ve always wondered, as someone who’s extremely emotional, how do you guys handle crying? I know all nurses are pretty empathetic people, but I’m really talking about the kind of people who cry easily (heartwarming moments, sad, touching, traumatic, you name it). Even when other people cry, good or bad tears, I typically cry. Random TikTok videos? Sobbing. It’s something I’ve been trying to work on for years, so far I haven’t cried in front of a patient (thankfully lol), but the idea of clinical rotation in L&D and seeing mom’s go through that amount of pain? Or comforting crying family members? I do recognize that I’ll be in like “work mode” and that I need to separate my feelings, but damn. How do you guys keep it together? I’ve worked alongside nurses for years, and the amount of strength and composure I’ve seen them portray is the reason I pursued nursing. It’s so admirable, and I want to be that strong for my patients in the future. Any tips/tricks on how you guys are able to stay so strong and hold the tears back would be greatly appreciated.
Please be nice, I know I’ll make a great nurse, I think I’m just overly empathetic lol