Do you remember your first rapid response or code blue? Have you experienced violence from a delirious or mentally ill patient? If you’ve ever worked in a hospital, I’m sure you’ve dealt with this at least once during your career. Often, work-related PTSD is associated with military personnel, police officers, and firefighters. But, when you think about it, nurses deal with the same types of trauma.
On a daily basis, nurses witness death, life-changing diagnoses, pain, suffering, and tough family dynamics. In a typical setting, if someone were to experience a distressing situation, they would be given time to process it mentally. However, nurses and healthcare professionals need to have a “switch” that allows them to quickly detach from distressing situations and move on to the next patient. Unfortunately, not everyone has that ‘switch’, leading them to carry that trauma home. So, can nurses get PTSD?
What Causes Work-Related PTSD?
The ability to detach is a skill that not everyone has. Working in these emotionally charged environments requires a level of resilience that is often celebrated and even idealized in healthcare settings. This “switch”–the ability to detach from one problem and immediately engage in another–comes at a price. For many nurses, the effects of these experiences don’t just vanish. Moreover, exposure to the raw and unfiltered expressions of human pain and vulnerability can leave an imprint on even the strongest person.
Early in my career, I carried the weight of my patient’s problems home with me. As much as I tried to decompress, I would find myself wondering what happened to my patients after they were discharged or what I could have done differently to improve their situation. Working in a high-acuity environment within a major city literally kept me on edge as my patients’ lives depended on me. Being in fight-or-flight mode for 36+ hours/week is typical for nurses and healthcare professionals. But this same thing is detrimental to our mental well-being. Nowadays, news channels are laden with stores of nurses who’ve harmed themselves or fallen into substance abuse from PTSD.
The question remains: How can we stop burnout from turning into PTSD? While I’ve never experienced PTSD, it still took me YEARS to figure out how to detach myself without becoming cold and stoic. Here are three things I did to protect my mental health.
You’ve Gotta Have A Good Sense Of Humor
You have to. Have you ever encountered a nurse with a ‘dark’ sense of humor? It’s a coping mechanism. Laughter, in the midst of a whirlwind, can act as a lifeline. Having a sense of humor isn’t about being insensitive or dismissive of the gravity of our work. Instead, it’s a way to step back from the stress momentarily. Humor is a kind of shared language among nurses, acknowledging how unpredictable life can be.
Practice Self Care Religiously
Self-care is often preached but not as frequently practiced, especially in nursing. For me, self-care meant setting boundaries between work and personal life. It meant not being afraid to say ‘no’ to picking up extra shifts if I was stretched too thin. It involved regular exercise, a healthy diet, and enough sleep. But more than that, it was about giving myself permission to prioritize my well-being. It included activities I enjoyed, like trying new coffee shops, reading, and spending time with friends. By putting myself first, I was in a better position to help others.
Seek Support When Needed
I used to have a misconception that seeking help was a sign of weakness. I eventually learned that it’s quite the opposite. Talking to my colleagues and friends about the mental toll that nursing had on me helped me in the end. Through this, I learned that it’s okay not to be okay. It wasn’t until I acknowledged that I needed help that I actually started seeing improvements in my life. Sharing your experiences, fears, and challenges can be incredibly liberating and healing. It’s a reminder that you’re not alone in this journey.
Nursing is a beautiful profession. As a nurse, you are doing extraordinary work in extraordinarily challenging circumstances. Know that it is possible to avoid work-related PTSD. It’s okay to feel overwhelmed. It’s okay to need a break. It’s okay to ask for help. Your health is just as important as the health of your patients.
