Too much empathy?

[davidlee97]

serious question - if an individual has such a goodd heart that he/she cannot stop crying(never getting desensitized) when hearing such painful stories from patients or cannot deal with death, wood you say that medicine is what they should pursue?
i believe empathy is rly important, but what if the job rather stresses you out so much b/c it reminds you of your own ptsd and your brokenness? thnx 4 yall's thoughts

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[Goro]

If you can't desensitize, then this is the wrong field for you. You're going to see a lot of sad, heartbreaking stories.

Worse, YOU are going to be the one to give sad, heartbreaking news.

 

[eteshoe]

serious question - if an individual has such a goodd heart that he/she cannot stop crying(never getting desensitized) when hearing such painful stories from patients or cannot deal with death, wood you say that medicine is what they should pursue?
i believe empathy is rly important, but what if the job rather stresses you out so much b/c it reminds you of your own ptsd and your brokenness? thnx 4 yall's thoughts

Come on now - you know the answer to this question. Make a thread if you have a legitimate concern/question.

 

[Pinocytosis]

To be honest, I remember the first time seeing a patient on my floor die. It was terrible. It was on my mind for days and kept me up at night.
Fast forward a week. A patient coded and eventually passed within the hour. It stuck with me for a couple of days, but my sleep wasn't disrupted.
A month later, a patient who was on my unit for 2+ months literally died in my arms. It sucked, but by the end of the day I was over it.

What I'm getting at is this: you will still feel that heart-sinking feeling, but you begin to accept that patients die. It doesn't make you less human or empathetic. If you begin to take things "home with you", it will not only affect your relationships, but also your own mental health. You cannot and should not internalize patient cases. You, as an aspiring physician or current health care employee, must leave the feelings at the deceased patient's door. Because, after all, that patient two doors down is still waiting for her chocolate ice cream she asked for 10 minutes ago.

 

[davidlee97]

To be honest, I remember the first time seeing a patient on my floor die. It was terrible. It was on my mind for days and kept me up at night.
Fast forward a week. A patient coded and eventually passed within the hour. It stuck with me for a couple of days, but my sleep wasn't disrupted.
A month later, a patient who was on my unit for 2+ months literally died in my arms. It sucked, but by the end of the day I was over it.

What I'm getting at is this: you will still feel that heart-sinking feeling, but you begin to accept that patients die. It doesn't make you less human or empathetic. If you begin to take things "home with you", it will not only affect your relationships, but also your own mental health. You cannot and should not internalize patient cases. You, as an aspiring physician or current health care employee, must leave the feelings at the deceased patient's door. Because, after all, that patient two doors down is still waiting for her chocolate ice cream she asked for 10 minutes ago.

thanx 4 the story. Sincere condolences to you