My patient died today!

[IamDrStrange]

I'm having the worst possible day ever. I have been lurking through SDN forever now and finally decided to make an account to write about today. I'm a PCT at a hospital for some background and this morning a code blue on my floor went off. The nurses usually have me do CPR so I usually run when I hear a code blue. When I got there, the patient was in Vtach and we did an EKG to confirm this. Crash cart arrived, Code blue team present and doctor present. Shocked the patient and patient went into asystole. I started compressions, and this went over and over again Vtach to asystole (about 7 times). Finally we got a rhythm and transported the patient to ICU where the patient coded again and this time someone else took over for compressions. It had been more than 30 min and so the cardiologist just said stop and called it.

I can't stop thinking about this, I had just passed out breakfast trays for my patients and this patient was eating a blueberry muffin at the time. 5 mins later I'm doing CPR and she still has crumbs of blueberry's around her gown. Is this what a doctors life is? I don't think I can do this - I need some guidance and strength.

How do physicians just call it and walk out without tearing up?

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[Chelsea FC]

I'm having the worst possible day ever. I have been lurking through SDN forever now and finally decided to make an account to write about today. I'm a PCT at a hospital for some background and this morning a code blue on my floor went off. The nurses usually have me do CPR so I usually run when I hear a code blue. When I got there, the patient was in Vtach and we did an EKG to confirm this. Crash cart arrived, Code blue team present and doctor present. Shocked the patient and patient went into asystole. I started compressions, and this went over and over again Vtach to asystole (about 7 times). Finally we got a rhythm and transported the patient to ICU where the patient coded again and this time someone else took over for compressions. It had been more than 30 min and so the cardiologist just said stop and called it.

I can't stop thinking about this, I had just passed out breakfast trays for my patients and this patient was eating a blueberry muffin at the time. 5 mins later I'm doing CPR and she still has crumbs of blueberry's around her gown. Is this what a doctors life is? I don't think I can do this - I need some guidance and strength.

How do physicians just call it and walk out without tearing up?

Alot of specialties don't deal with death alot so thats something to think about. I work in a pharmacy as a tech and lost 2 patients the other day, most people would surprised at how invovled a small local pharmacy can have in the healthcare journey of a individual and the deaths of those patients really hit me hard. I guess doctors find a way to detach and keep moving on.

 

[LnSin]

Just chiming in to send positive vibes your way. I think your strong emotional response highlights an empathy that is really important in this profession--I would be scared of a doctor that thought, "alright, patient coded, moving on for lunch!" And thought nothing of it. I've not dealt with death in a clinical setting--I certainly hope I'll have the same kind of emotions you are experiencing, that's the humanity in medicine, right?

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

Just chiming in to send positive vibes your way. I think your strong emotional response highlights an empathy that is really important in this profession--I would be scared of a doctor that thought, "alright, patient coded, moving on for lunch!" And thought nothing of it. I've not dealt with death in a clinical setting--I certainly hope I'll have the same kind of emotions you are experiencing, that's the humanity in medicine, right?

You think that way cause you have no experience with it. After the code, you still have other patients who need care, and they shouldn't get lesser care because you become an emotional wreck whenever something bad happens to a patient.

You take a minute to breathe, then you put it aside until you have time to process it. The docs who move on are moving on to focus on the patients who are still alive and need their help.

That doesn't mean you can't get sad or deal with those feelings. You just do it later when you don't have other patients who need things done.

 

[LnSin]

You think that way cause you have no experience with it. After the code, you still have other patients who need care, and they shouldn't get lesser care because you become an emotional wreck whenever something bad happens to a patient.

You take a minute to breathe, then you put it aside until you have time to process it. The docs who move on are moving on to focus on the patients who are still alive and need their help.

That doesn't mean you can't get sad or deal with those feelings. You just do it later when you don't have other patients who need things done.

I'll certainly agree that emotions shouldn't get in the way of proper medical care, but my point was that experiencing sadness is normal. Also, I don't think it's so easy to "do it later"--if we all could choose when to experience emotion, life would be very easy.

"57 percent of [medical students] rated the effect of patient death as highly and emotionally impactful"
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3366454/

 

[kamakazi5]

It can be tough for some people but you get used to it. I also work as a PCT and I've never had much of an issue when patients die but now that I work in the ICU it happens 1-2 times per week so it doesn't phase me at all. We had a young guy earlier tonight who was talking and with it last night and coded and died within the first hour of my shift tonight. I walked out, washed my hands, and grabbed my coffee before going to do something else I needed.

Honestly, the only thing that really bothers me is the family. To me, when a person dies they are done, no afterlife, nothing. But the family has to live with that pain and that does make me feel for them.

Sorry you are having a rough time but you will get better over time. This shouldn't be a deciding factor for becoming a doctor. As stated above, it's perfectly normal to feel a bit sad but they aren't your only responsibility which is important to remember.

 

[stoic]

get used to it.

no one gets out alive.

 

[group_theory]

You never get used to it. It impacts you, some more than others. And with time and experience (and hopefully the right mentor), you will learn to cope, to compartmentalize, and find a friendly person that you can just talk to (or cry, or sit besides and say nothing). It could be a formalized debriefing offered by the ICU or the meg/surg floor, it could be a one-on-one with the hospital chaplain, your co-workers and supervisor, etc.

You care, which is why it is hitting you so hard. Never let go of that caring, no matter how busy, tired, sleep deprived - never let that go.

We go into this profession to make people feel better. Sometimes it is out of our hands. Just do what's right for the patient, at all times.

These 2 clips might help - from one of the most accurate medical television show ever shown on TV

 

[Psai]

They were already dead before you started compressions. People die in the hospital and it's usually not a surprise when they do.

 

[Goro]

Very sorry to hear this. But as someone who is starting to look mortality in the face, all I can say is that after a good life, the best we can hope for is a good death.

I'm having the worst possible day ever. I have been lurking through SDN forever now and finally decided to make an account to write about today. I'm a PCT at a hospital for some background and this morning a code blue on my floor went off. The nurses usually have me do CPR so I usually run when I hear a code blue. When I got there, the patient was in Vtach and we did an EKG to confirm this. Crash cart arrived, Code blue team present and doctor present. Shocked the patient and patient went into asystole. I started compressions, and this went over and over again Vtach to asystole (about 7 times). Finally we got a rhythm and transported the patient to ICU where the patient coded again and this time someone else took over for compressions. It had been more than 30 min and so the cardiologist just said stop and called it.

I can't stop thinking about this, I had just passed out breakfast trays for my patients and this patient was eating a blueberry muffin at the time. 5 mins later I'm doing CPR and she still has crumbs of blueberry's around her gown. Is this what a doctors life is? I don't think I can do this - I need some guidance and strength.

How do physicians just call it and walk out without tearing up?

 

[NeuResurgens]

I agree with what was said above. You have to learn how to deal with it. I usually see at least 2-3 deaths a week in my ICU. It is sad but there are so many other patients that you need to help and you have to take the time to grieve outside of your work, because more people can be hurt if you are wrecked while treating other patients.

 

[mistafab]

The username to post content correlation here is perfect.

get used to it.

no one gets out alive.

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

Also, I don't think it's so easy to "do it later"--if we all could choose when to experience emotion, life would be very easy.

If you don't want to look like an emotional wreck in front of your patients, you will learn to compartmentalize. Trust me. It is essentially to carrying on. Unless your only patient is the one who coded, you will have to be able to carry on smartly in order to take proper care of the rest of your patients. You'll see when you get some experience with it. It isn't easy, but you learn to do it. Take a breath now and cry later if you have to, because your next patient needs you to be there 100%.

 

[CyrilFiggis]

And you wonder why some doctors and nurses have dark senses of humor. The only deaths to worry about are yours or the ones you cause.

 

[girlofgrace7]

Your reaction is completely valid and doesn't prevent you from being a doctor. Every death is a little different based on the circumstances. The earlier patient deaths in your career tend to hit a lot harder because it's a new feeling. Some patient deaths are much harder than others (particularly ones that are sudden and unexpected or involve patients/families with whom you've established a longer-standing relationship as opposed to deaths of patients you've just met or that have been to one degree or another expected). You'll also come to realize that there are times when "a good death" is preferable to continued suffering when you feel like you have made a difference in someone's life by helping them to die well (these are generally not patients who codes are called on though). Everyone deals with deaths a little differently. Learning to compartmentalize comes with time. Sometimes it comes easily, and other times, you may have to ask nurses/coworkers/etc to give you a minute while you step out to cry/recollect your thoughts. Personally, I find it most helpful to pause and take a breath before entering the next patient room to collect myself in order to give my best to the next patient (if you're into philosophy, there's a ton of medical literature on mindfulness and how to leave prior problems at the door), and I tend not to let myself stop to feel the emotion at the time (unless I'm with the family of the patient who passed) and throw myself into being busy until I have the time to process the feelings alone.

 

[Mad Jack]

I'm having the worst possible day ever. I have been lurking through SDN forever now and finally decided to make an account to write about today. I'm a PCT at a hospital for some background and this morning a code blue on my floor went off. The nurses usually have me do CPR so I usually run when I hear a code blue. When I got there, the patient was in Vtach and we did an EKG to confirm this. Crash cart arrived, Code blue team present and doctor present. Shocked the patient and patient went into asystole. I started compressions, and this went over and over again Vtach to asystole (about 7 times). Finally we got a rhythm and transported the patient to ICU where the patient coded again and this time someone else took over for compressions. It had been more than 30 min and so the cardiologist just said stop and called it.

I can't stop thinking about this, I had just passed out breakfast trays for my patients and this patient was eating a blueberry muffin at the time. 5 mins later I'm doing CPR and she still has crumbs of blueberry's around her gown. Is this what a doctors life is? I don't think I can do this - I need some guidance and strength.

How do physicians just call it and walk out without tearing up?

Your perspective on death changes over time. It's just the last phase of everyone's life, and not a thing to be viewed tragically.

 

[mimelim]

You never get used to it. It impacts you, some more than others. And with time and experience (and hopefully the right mentor), you will learn to cope, to compartmentalize, and find a friendly person that you can just talk to (or cry, or sit besides and say nothing). It could be a formalized debriefing offered by the ICU or the meg/surg floor, it could be a one-on-one with the hospital chaplain, your co-workers and supervisor, etc.

You care, which is why it is hitting you so hard. Never let go of that caring, no matter how busy, tired, sleep deprived - never let that go.

We go into this profession to make people feel better. Sometimes it is out of our hands. Just do what's right for the patient, at all times.

These 2 clips might help - from one of the most accurate medical television show ever shown on TV

I agree with everything you said, except the first sentence. Some people do get used to it, and no, it doesn't make them bad people.

I'm having the worst possible day ever. I have been lurking through SDN forever now and finally decided to make an account to write about today. I'm a PCT at a hospital for some background and this morning a code blue on my floor went off. The nurses usually have me do CPR so I usually run when I hear a code blue. When I got there, the patient was in Vtach and we did an EKG to confirm this. Crash cart arrived, Code blue team present and doctor present. Shocked the patient and patient went into asystole. I started compressions, and this went over and over again Vtach to asystole (about 7 times). Finally we got a rhythm and transported the patient to ICU where the patient coded again and this time someone else took over for compressions. It had been more than 30 min and so the cardiologist just said stop and called it.

I can't stop thinking about this, I had just passed out breakfast trays for my patients and this patient was eating a blueberry muffin at the time. 5 mins later I'm doing CPR and she still has crumbs of blueberry's around her gown. Is this what a doctors life is? I don't think I can do this - I need some guidance and strength.

How do physicians just call it and walk out without tearing up?

Death is a part of medicine, but certainly not all doctors deal with it regularly or at all. It depends on your specialty and how your practice is setup. In general, physicians with outpatient practices rarely deal with coding patients or their patient's dying on them. But, even those that spend time in hospitals aren't around super sick patients. Of course, unexpected things do happen and it is important to learn coping skills and what one's tolerance is for death and dying.

Now, I am not in one of those practices that is shielded from death. I have had 2 of my patients die in the last 48 hours. In the last 24 hours, 2 others of my patients have been made DNR/DNI. The mean ASA class of the patients I operate on is ~3.5. A good number of them could trade their health profile for most stage 4 cancers and have equivalent or better life expediencies. It has been a particularly brutal several days, but our weekly M&M rarely has zero deaths. They aren't usually directly related to our operations, but are simply a manifestation of a very sick patient population that we care for. You can't do what we do and not develop a relatively thick emotional skin. Death is a part of medicine, but it is also inevitable for every single person. When you treat sick people, some of them are going to die. Understanding and being able to rationalize it doesn't make you a bad or emotionally ******ed individual. It simply comes with dealing with it for years. That doesn't mean that the younger/sudden deaths don't hit you harder. (in my case the <40 yo patient exsanguinating in front of me yesterday) But, while it sounds callous, when an 80 something year old with a laundry list of medical problems passes, sometimes it barely registers.

 

[Medic741]

How old are you?

EMS from age of 16-23 over here as EMT and later as Paramedic.

When you're young it bothers you because you don't have life context to understand what's going on -- you really have no context. As you get older, you have more life experiences and you can contextualize their death within a broader framework of how you understand the world.

As messed up as it might sound, you just get used to it. After a while you learn how to compartmentalize your life so you can go from picking brains out of your boots to going on a date with a nice girl a few hours later because you have effective coping mechanisms. I guess some areas of medicine will make you hard AF, but there are a lot of specialties where you won't have to deal w it as often. Obviously, I can only speak from experience in prehospital care.


The biggest thing for me was realizing that it was just a job & that I didn't know these people before they became ill so have no emotional investment in the outcome. You do the best you can with what you have. Recognize that the outcome is usually outside of your control and let the event go when its over.

 

[IamDrStrange]

Thank you for all the positive replies! I called in last night and just took the day off to relax and consider everything. I've seen many other patients die before but for some reason this one really stood out. I used to never feel emotional and could easily just forget about it and move on with my day. It's just been a hectic week and I'm glad its over.
Again thank you for some SDN guidance

 

[Gurkhali]

This might not be apropos here but every time I read this title on the forums it sounds like you're almost excited about it. Dark humor, I'm sorry. I hope you grow from this experience. Also, punctuation has powerful connotation!

 

[RKBrumbelow]

I sympathize, I remember when my first patient died in ICU during my ICU/Neuro/rehab time. It sucked, I had two things that helped. First was a great mentor who immediately sent me up to rehab to discharge 3 patients to go home. He then came up and we talked about everything that happened, what could I have done more/less what did I do I should not have done, what did I not do, are the standard questions we went over every time it happened. A mini M&M and then I went through the formal M&M. Thing I could have done, things I could have tried, but likely ultimately would have made no difference. And the Bob let me in on a secret. The reason why he was head of Neuro and rehab was so that he could do ICU calls like the one I took. He needs to be able to see patients getting better and going home to balance the ones we lose in ICU that never make it to surgery let alone rehab.

Now I had seen death before as a pastor, sat and watched people die as I held their hand and prayed with them. So it was not new, but first time I took so much blame on myself, all the questioning. But yes, ultimately there was nothing that could have been done. Sometimes it will get easier, sometimes it might even me someone you know casually. I also remember all the times I had to go to a family and tell them that this is as good as it is going to get.

It helps to honestly believe in a higher power.


Sent from my iPad using SDN mobile

 

[#LifeofaMedStudent]

I remember my first death vividly, I didn't know it at the time - but it ended up being a friend of our families. Depending on specialty, youll have patients die on you - some more frequently than others. Over time you get used to it, but there are always going to be some more vivid than others.

On a side note, my first patient death mentioned above - I ended up going to the funeral. There are mixed feelings in medicine about going to patients funerals afterwards. In my case, having a connection to the patient through family, I was very glad I did. Anyone else have an opinion on attending a patients funeral?

 

[prehealthadvisor55]

I think this also brings up the importance of getting your mental/emotional health in a good place before going down the medical school road. Not to say you're not in a good mental space, but imagine if you weren't how much more difficult this would be. Learning to cope and deal with these types of things now will be crucial to your success moving forward. Find a healthy outlet now that you can maintain going forward. Being a robot isn't an admirable quality in a doctor that's face to face with patients...learning how to cope with things in an appropriate manner is.

 

[Mad Jack]

Thank you for all the positive replies! I called in last night and just took the day off to relax and consider everything. I've seen many other patients die before but for some reason this one really stood out. I used to never feel emotional and could easily just forget about it and move on with my day. It's just been a hectic week and I'm glad its over.
Again thank you for some SDN guidance

Even years down the line you'll always get one that bothers you for one reason or another. Maybe you connect too closely with the family's grief, maybe they remind you if someone, maybe you bonded with them, or maybe you're just emotionally vulnerable that day, but it'll happen and it's normal. Hope you're feeling better, enjoy the time off!

 

[DoctorCrush]

Obviously I don't have physician experience, but as a nurse I find that younger death affects me more than elderly (no offense to elders). It's part of the job, OP. It's good that you're experiencing it now. From what I can tell you might be young. Right now, in your position, you have the time to be honest with your feelings, confront them and contemplate whether or not the field is right for you.

 

[DoctorCrush]

Even years down the line you'll always get one that bothers you for one reason or another. Maybe you connect too closely with the family's grief, maybe they remind you if someone, maybe you bonded with them, or maybe you're just emotionally vulnerable that day, but it'll happen and it's normal. Hope you're feeling better, enjoy the time off!

Bingo!

Side bar, PICU was probably the saddest nursing school rotation I've ever been on.

 

[Mad Jack]

Bingo!

Side bar, PICU was probably the saddest nursing school rotation I've ever been on.

PICU is probably the worst overall. Newborn I could handle, because when anewborn doesn't make it, it's usually because they weren't meant for this world and we gave them the best shot we could. But neuro was always the worst for me, because sometimes watching a family cope with a young patient that is 90% brain damaged and going to be their responsibility is worse than any death. Which I guess goes back to the meaning of tragedy- we do not weep for the dead, we weep for those that must carry on.

 

[DoctorCrush]

PICU is probably the worst overall. Newborn I could handle, because when anewborn doesn't make it, it's usually because they weren't meant for this world and we gave them the best shot we could. But neuro was always the worst for me, because sometimes watching a family cope with a young patient that is 90% brain damaged and going to be their responsibility is worse than any death. Which I guess goes back to the meaning of tragedy- we do not weep for the dead, we weep for those that must carry on.

I agree.
We had a similar situation like that back then too. The family came back to the unit after discharged, blamed us for killing his son and now facing a huge medical bill. Losing his son and money. The aftermath of it all was ****tier than the death.

 

[bioboy23]

I agree with everything you said, except the first sentence. Some people do get used to it, and no, it doesn't make them bad people.




Death is a part of medicine, but certainly not all doctors deal with it regularly or at all. It depends on your specialty and how your practice is setup. In general, physicians with outpatient practices rarely deal with coding patients or their patient's dying on them. But, even those that spend time in hospitals aren't around super sick patients. Of course, unexpected things do happen and it is important to learn coping skills and what one's tolerance is for death and dying.

Now, I am not in one of those practices that is shielded from death. I have had 2 of my patients die in the last 48 hours. In the last 24 hours, 2 others of my patients have been made DNR/DNI. The mean ASA class of the patients I operate on is ~3.5. A good number of them could trade their health profile for most stage 4 cancers and have equivalent or better life expediencies. It has been a particularly brutal several days, but our weekly M&M rarely has zero deaths. They aren't usually directly related to our operations, but are simply a manifestation of a very sick patient population that we care for. You can't do what we do and not develop a relatively thick emotional skin. Death is a part of medicine, but it is also inevitable for every single person. When you treat sick people, some of them are going to die. Understanding and being able to rationalize it doesn't make you a bad or emotionally ******ed individual. It simply comes with dealing with it for years. That doesn't mean that the younger/sudden deaths don't hit you harder. (in my case the <40 yo patient exsanguinating in front of me yesterday) But, while it sounds callous, when an 80 something year old with a laundry list of medical problems passes, sometimes it barely registers.

Are the outcomes in vascular surg really as grim as they say? At my hospital it seems like the vascular docs do a great job in helping their patients and I don't really hear much about bad outcomes (besides the occasional emergency AAA) - at least not any more than other specialties. But it seems like there is a stigma of vascular patients always dying or getting an appendage lopped off.

 

[mimelim]

Are the outcomes in vascular surg really as grim as they say? At my hospital it seems like the vascular docs do a great job in helping their patients and I don't really hear much about bad outcomes (besides the occasional emergency AAA) - at least not any more than other specialties. But it seems like there is a stigma of vascular patients always dying or getting an appendage lopped off.

Depends on the hospital and practice setup. This isn't about bad outcomes, it is about nature of disease.

Can you be a vascular surgeon and never have a patient die on you? Sure. Open a vein practice or an outpatient only endo practice. Patients that I see in clinic are 50% average health 50-60 year olds and 50% cardiovascular nightmares. Patients that I see in the hospital that didn't come in for a vascular procedure.... Let's just say, it is a bad sign if people are asking for a vascular consult. For me in particular, I'm at some of the busiest tertiary care centers in the world. We help other surgeons/physicians deal with a lot of crazy stuff. We also have a robust dialysis access practice. While it feeds our PVD practice nicely, it also means that our outcomes are always going to be less than stellar. When 30% of your patients are CKD or ESRD, things are going to be a little tougher.

 

[bioboy23]

Depends on the hospital and practice setup. This isn't about bad outcomes, it is about nature of disease.

Can you be a vascular surgeon and never have a patient die on you? Sure. Open a vein practice or an outpatient only endo practice. Patients that I see in clinic are 50% average health 50-60 year olds and 50% cardiovascular nightmares. Patients that I see in the hospital that didn't come in for a vascular procedure.... Let's just say, it is a bad sign if people are asking for a vascular consult. For me in particular, I'm at some of the busiest tertiary care centers in the world. We help other surgeons/physicians deal with a lot of crazy stuff. We also have a robust dialysis access practice. While it feeds our PVD practice nicely, it also means that our outcomes are always going to be less than stellar. When 30% of your patients are CKD or ESRD, things are going to be a little tougher.

Very interesting! Vascular stuff is really cool.

 

[wanderingorion]

Thank you for all the positive replies! I called in last night and just took the day off to relax and consider everything. I've seen many other patients die before but for some reason this one really stood out. I used to never feel emotional and could easily just forget about it and move on with my day. It's just been a hectic week and I'm glad its over.
Again thank you for some SDN guidance

Some do stick with you for sure. I still remember the name of my first death. I think it honors him to remember him.

 

[ProCal2016]

I've worked in critical care nursing for several years, and EMS for a period of time before that. I even worked in law enforcement and spent time in the military. The Grim Reaper and I should be drinking buddies by now. I have seen and dealt with death in all of those various jobs. Some were expected, many weren't. Some were downright horrific. I still remember being a detective and having to watch the four hour autopsy of a two year old child homicide victim. I still remember my first code as an EMT (December of 1990, nursing home patient...I'll never forget it). I remember the patient I cared for as a student RN. I had just finished his morning care and bath. He had told me that he was "gonna take a nap now". Ten minutes later, we were coding him. I remember feeling very sad and empty early on in my career. I wasn't sure what to do with those emotions, but I knew that I still had a job to do. So, I held it in until I was off duty. Only then did I grieve openly for the patient and family. All these years later, I have been down this road many times. I won't say it's easier, but I'm used to it. It's sort of like other skills in life. You get adept at them with repetition. As other posters have said, when you have a patient death, you still have to continue with your job. The hospital grind won't stop. Call lights, alarms, and telephones will still ring off. Other patients still need you, and you must continue to be "on point" lest you do something unsafe. I don't have any advice on how to deal with it, other than to say that, with time, you will develop an emotional thick skin. You will still be sad for the patient and surviving family. As well you should...if you ever truly lose those emotions, it's time to leave the profession. That said, you will be sad, but will move through it. As one of my early paramedic mentors once told me: "Finish the job and fall apart later."

In a way, you can be proud that you have made it through this experience. Sometimes the key to getting past a bad experience in patient care is having the guts to show up for your next shift. I wish you peace as you work through this.

 

[Predent_heart_RN]

Not all fields as a physician deal with pts. that are critical or dying. You will definitely get your share while in school seeing people faced with mortality, as well as keeping pts. alive that maybe should be a DNR. I have been a nurse in ER, CVICU, and CVOR for 15 years and lost many pts. You never get used to it and some are harder then others to take. I won't ever forget doing CPR on a 3 month old SIDS baby that we couldn't get back, or coding the 3 year old left in a car here in AZ, that had a core body temp of 110+ degrees rectal (the thermometer wouldn't read any higher then 110, it just said HIGH). You will find your own ways to cope with it, but if being a physician is something you want to do and dealing with dying is hard on you, choose something that has quite a bit less risk, dermatology, primary care, orthopedics etc. Medicine is such a broad field. Keep up the good work and learn from every code you go to, it will make you a better person and care giver. Always remember, WE DON'T SAVE LIVES, WE JUST CHANGE THE DATE!

 

[JB50]

And you wonder why some doctors and nurses have dark senses of humor. The only deaths to worry about are yours or the ones you cause.

So much this x1000. This belongs in your sig.

Opie I work as a PCT as well and I've cleaned up my fair share of bodies. The first one is rough. Whether good or bad, you get used to it. It's a strange thing.

Young deaths you never get used to though.