Help from other medical professionals

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2010-03-02 9:02 PM

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Subject: Help from other medical professionals
Hello everyone I need help,

I'm heading off on my PT acute care rotation next week. I'm going to be doing a rotation through all parts of the hospital that acute therapists go. I will defiantly spend time on floors with patients that are unstable and near death. I'm worried about how I'm going to deal with the fact that some of my patients will die while I'm caring for them.

I'm just looking for some strategies that everyone here has used to kind of deal with this. I know this seems like a strange topic for here but I just know there are a lot of doctors here.

I've already talked to some of my profs who have done a lot of time in acute care and they've said that it can be really hard at times. One of them had a day where 8 of his patients passed away in one day. He said that was one of the roughest days of his professional career. I just know that I care a lot about all of my patients and that's why I'm really worried about how I'm going to respond to them passing away.

Thanks everyone ahead of time.

2010-03-02 9:20 PM
in reply to: #2703642

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Subject: RE: Help from other medical professionals
Sorry just to add. I know that I'm just going to have to just "deal with it" and that it's part of being in a hospital. Maybe hearing how people have dealt with having their 1st patient pass away could help me.

Again sorry for the depressing topic. Just a major fear I have going into next week.

Edited by crazyquick23 2010-03-02 9:21 PM
2010-03-02 10:15 PM
in reply to: #2703642

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Subject: RE: Help from other medical professionals
crazyquick23 - 2010-03-02 10:02 PM Hello everyone I need help,

I'm heading off on my PT acute care rotation next week. I'm going to be doing a rotation through all parts of the hospital that acute therapists go. I will defiantly spend time on floors with patients that are unstable and near death. I'm worried about how I'm going to deal with the fact that some of my patients will die while I'm caring for them.

I'm just looking for some strategies that everyone here has used to kind of deal with this. I know this seems like a strange topic for here but I just know there are a lot of doctors here.

I've already talked to some of my profs who have done a lot of time in acute care and they've said that it can be really hard at times. One of them had a day where 8 of his patients passed away in one day. He said that was one of the roughest days of his professional career. I just know that I care a lot about all of my patients and that's why I'm really worried about how I'm going to respond to them passing away.

Thanks everyone ahead of time.


I think this should be a question for your clinical instructor.  If they smart off when you ask (Seen this many times) then they have no respect for their profession.  Know your protocols (code or no code status), know your equipment if they do code out on you, there will be tons of people YELLING at you if you make the slightest mistake during a code, don't take it personally though.  Be sure to know who and how to get help quickly if your in the patients room, every second counts.....  Don't let the family members griv get to you.  Don't blame yourself on anything, if the patient was ready to go, then it was their time.  Last thing, your there to help, be prepared, be safe and protect yourself first... know that.  There are TONS of ppl in the profession that are there for a paycheck, you sound like a caring person though to even raise the question. 
2010-03-03 12:51 AM
in reply to: #2703677

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Subject: RE: Help from other medical professionals
I can't say much about what to do in the hospital except to remember that you did your best, but some things cannot be helped. And as cold as it may seem, it was their time.

But as someone who worked for NYC EMS for 5 years, and lost patients, I can give you some advise about what to do afterwords. If it affects you, find someone to talk to, preferably someone in the health-care profession, since sometimes people outside the field just don't get it. I lost patients, not many, but a few, and even tho I did everything possible, it still happened. I mostly wasn't affected (as far as I know) probably because we were an arrogant bunch who KNEW that we were the best, and if something could have been done, we would have done it, but two or three times it stuck a bit. My method of dealing was to go home and bury myself in mindless computer games for an hour or two, and only then interact with others. My girlfriend knew to leave me alone at that time.

Hope it goes smoothly.
2010-03-03 9:24 AM
in reply to: #2703883

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Subject: RE: Help from other medical professionals
r1237h - 2010-03-03 1:51 AM I can't say much about what to do in the hospital except to remember that you did your best, but some things cannot be helped. And as cold as it may seem, it was their time.

But as someone who worked for NYC EMS for 5 years, and lost patients, I can give you some advise about what to do afterwords. If it affects you, find someone to talk to, preferably someone in the health-care profession, since sometimes people outside the field just don't get it. I lost patients, not many, but a few, and even tho I did everything possible, it still happened. I mostly wasn't affected (as far as I know) probably because we were an arrogant bunch who KNEW that we were the best, and if something could have been done, we would have done it, but two or three times it stuck a bit. My method of dealing was to go home and bury myself in mindless computer games for an hour or two, and only then interact with others. My girlfriend knew to leave me alone at that time.

Hope it goes smoothly.



x2, I think the hardest part for me was doing a code on my brother and we lost him.  Not good!
2010-03-03 9:32 AM
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Subject: RE: Help from other medical professionals
Thanks guys your input. I'll definatly be talking to my CI about it. I deep down know it's going to be ok but it's a fear for me. I'm more nervous because PTs tend to spend a good chunk of time getting to know patients during their treatment. You get to really know them as people. I hope that I can keep in the back of my mind that everyone has a time to go.

2010-03-03 10:00 AM
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Subject: RE: Help from other medical professionals
My cousin is a mortitian and I was talking to him about how he dealt with being around death all the time.  I don't know if this advice will help, BUT, hopefully it will:

He said that it bother's you at first, but a colleague of his told him that you have to remember that you are doing a great service for the family.  Same with what you are doing, you are doing a great service by trying to keep this person alive (doing everything in your power to do so).  There is only so much that can be done.

Best of luck to you.
2010-03-03 2:53 PM
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Subject: RE: Help from other medical professionals
menglo - 2010-03-03 10:00 AM My cousin is a mortitian and I was talking to him about how he dealt with being around death all the time.  I don't know if this advice will help, BUT, hopefully it will:

He said that it bother's you at first, but a colleague of his told him that you have to remember that you are doing a great service for the family.  Same with what you are doing, you are doing a great service by trying to keep this person alive (doing everything in your power to do so).  There is only so much that can be done.

Best of luck to you.


Mortitians must have incredibly thick skin. That's one of the jobs that is on my list of things I don't think I could ever do.
2010-03-08 12:12 PM
in reply to: #2703642

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Subject: RE: Help from other medical professionals

It's been a few days, but I just saw this post, so I thought I would chime it.

I'm a PT, and I work in acute care, in a level 1 trauma hospital.

For the most part, you will probably not be seeing many patients who are near death. At that point, PT is typically not consulted. If a patient is in the ICU and PT is seeing them, the doctors are expecting that patient to do well and improve. If the patient has a chronic condition and being put on hospice/comfort care only, you may see them, but most often these patients decide to go home or inpatient hospice care. Plus, in acute care, people are in and out of the hospital so fast, there aren't many patients you get to see week after week.

There are a few that decline, and eventually die, but 8 in one day is almost unbelievable, and extraordinarily rare. It's definitely sad (especially when you've worked with the patient a while), but almost never completely unexpected. There are always the cases that stay with you, though. For me those have been the young patients who have survived significant traumas, but have a long road ahead of them (SCIs, brain aneurysms, TBIs, etc...).

So I bet it will not be something you have to see on a daily basis, most of the time it's really rewarding to see people improve in a short amount of time. By far the good outweighs the bad!

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