The last night I worked I had my first patient pass away on me. He was comfort care and expected so not something serious, but I still was upset and shook up over the death. As a nurse we are taught to help prevent death and do everything we can to stop it from occurring. So it was hard for me to let go and not titrate the oxygen and do measures that are essential for life. But I do understand when enough is enough and with our society today and advancements in medicine it seems that sometimes we do more harm the help. My patient had a comfortable, pain-free, peaceful death that every person deserves. The family was very appreciative of me and helping him get comfort before he passed. And it only took like 30 minutes for him to pass once he fell asleep which was quick! It’s a weird and eerie feeling to see a dead body and my mind plays tricks on me it looked like he was still breathing. I’m glad this was my first death experience and I feel stronger as a nurse to be able to understand a little more about this aspect of nursing. It just makes me love my job that much more, when I can care for a patient in their last hours.
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