Recovering after a distressing incident

Every single nurse, at some point, will experience their first code, first patient death, or other distressing event for the first time. It’s very difficult to feel truly prepared when such incidents happen, but there are some ways new graduate nurses develop positive coping skills and continue to provide quality patient care.

• Stay in communication with the healthcare team, including the charge nurse, nursing assistant personnel, and other nurses on the unit. Utilize the power of teamwork!
• Complete any outstanding charting and reporting about the event as soon as possible while the details are still fresh.
• Immediately after the distressing incident, take a short break to regroup in a quiet place. This may seem counterintuitive but is very important to regain calm and plan next steps with intention.
• Delegate tasks as needed and understand that nursing is a 24-hour per day job. Nothing is ever completely “done.”
• Attend a Code Lavender or other critical debrief incident if one is available. If not, follow up with a counselor or other mental health professional as needed. Employers often have Employee Assistance Programs that can help.
• Be open to feedback and mentoring to improve coping skills and resiliency when future events occur.