windcatcher 0 #1 October 12, 2006 Well? If you work in a hospital, with sick and dying patients, can having too much compassion interfere with work? Is there such a thing as a person having too much compassion, and therefore not being a good candidate for hospital work? What do you guys think? Mother to the cutest little thing in the world... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SkydiveStMarys 0 #2 October 12, 2006 I think that you have to be able to separate the two. I did hospital work and yeah there were some very very tough days because a "favorite" patient passed away or such. But you are there to do a job AND to help people. You have to have a certain amount of compassion for these people, but you have to find something outside of work to find a release for frustrations and anxiety, or it will eat you alive. You have to remember you can't save everyone!!!! BobbiA miracle is not defined by an event. A miracle is defined by gratitude. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lawrocket 3 #3 October 12, 2006 I think absolutely yes. It's why doctors should never treat a loved one - the bond can get in the way of objective decision-making. Also, if you have too much compassion, it'll eat you up inside. It's why I quit hospital work - I couldn't handle it. My wife is hotter than your wife. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
windcatcher 0 #4 October 12, 2006 Hmm. Well, supposedly, my husband says if you have too much compassion, you aren't going to want to hurt them ( to heal them*). I sure would like to find a way to help though. Mother to the cutest little thing in the world... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SkydiveStMarys 0 #5 October 12, 2006 Volunteer with the Geriatric patients (my all time favorite patients), if you can handle that maybe look into going a step farther. BobbiA miracle is not defined by an event. A miracle is defined by gratitude. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Lindercles 0 #6 October 13, 2006 Don't you ever watch Scrubs? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wildcard451 0 #7 October 13, 2006 QuoteHmm. Well, supposedly, my husband says if you have too much compassion, you aren't going to want to hurt them ( to heal them*). I sure would like to find a way to help though. That's not why. Trust me, after a while, you want to hurt them lol. If you get too attached then it will take too much of a toll when you lose one of them. Esp if it is your mistake that kills them. Life's a bitch. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
WeakMindedFool 0 #8 October 13, 2006 No, you can't have too much compassion. I empathize with most patients more then most of my contemporaries...at least when we talk about it, this is the way it seems. I use my emotions a lot at work, so much so that when I tried zoloft to quit smoking I lasted 3 days because I couldn't function at work. Not from the lack of smoking but because I felt...dead. I pay attention to how peoples body language effects me and this tells me if they are about to hit me...or if they are about to code. What you have to learn to do is live with the pain you will feel...and you will feel it more acutely if you empathize deeply with your patients. It's alot harder to operate this way and it's not the kind of thing you can be taught. I have watched people self destruct on calls because they couldn't integrate what was happening with what they believed to be the way things should work. I choose to feel with my patients, this is not something you should do without recognizing the danger! You must have a way to let go! You also have to be able to turn it off and ACT when necessary. The time comes when you must turn your emotions off and deal with what is in front of you, grieve latter. Find someone to talk to about your feelings, preferably with someone who does what you do. The ones that really get to me, drive me to sit with a bottle and toast them, are rare...but it happens. The common response to drinking behind this kind of thing is that it's bad...and it can be if you are doing it to hide. For me it's part celebration of the life that was lost and part tool to lubricate the mouth. Obviously it's not the kind of thing you should do alone. I believe it's much more dangerous, for me anyway, to try not to feel. The ones you hide from are the ones that come back at 3am. You may sit on the edge of your bed and cry sometimes...but that's O.K. Learn to be comfortable with your emotions, explore them, hold them up to the light and integrate the way you feel into who you are with your eyes open...the rewards outweigh the liabilities. Good luck! Peace! JasonFaith in a holy cause is to a considerable extent a substitute for lost faith in ourselves. -Eric Hoffer - Check out these Videos Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
