Self-Inventory: How Do I Feel
Source: raw/nsg210_wk09_SELFINVENTOR.docx. From the Student Workbook, Module 17, Skills for Care of a Dying Patient, p. 10. Complete before the workshop.
Purpose
Objective 2.5.1: discuss your own feelings and attitudes about death. A nurse has to recognize their own feelings about death to support dying patients. Attitudes are shaped by age, experience, culture, and religion. First encounters with death can be frightening; co-workers are a support system.
Suggested class activity: write your own obituary, picking an age to live to (not a date), then discuss your thoughts. This can expose fears and build empathy.
The 10 Statements
Rate each: Strongly Agree (5), Agree (4), Undecided (3), Disagree (2), Strongly Disagree (1).
- I am afraid to care for a dying patient.
- I am very uncomfortable around people who are sad or crying.
- I do not want to touch a dying patient.
- Dying patients should be left in peace, not given usual nursing care such as bathing and turning.
- Terminally ill patients should not be told that they are dying.
- If I cry around dying patients or their families, I am not being professional.
- I am afraid to go into the room after a patient has died.
- If one of my patients died unexpectedly, I would feel I must have made an error in care.
- I do not want dying patients to talk to me about their feelings; it frightens me.
- I am afraid I might have to care for dying children or young adults.
Scoring
| Total | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 41-50 | A great deal of anxiety about caring for dying patients |
| 31-40 | Unsure and slightly anxious |
| 21-30 | Fairly confident |
| 10-20 | Quite confident |
Lower is more confident, because every statement describes a fear or a misconception.
Written Part
After scoring, write a paragraph on your strengths and weaknesses in caring for dying patients and hand it to the facilitator:
- What experiences have given you insight into loss?
- What experiences have made you want to avoid people who are grieving?
- How will you draw on or overcome these to care for dying patients?
Why the Statements Are Misconceptions
- Dying patients still need routine care (bathing, turning, mouth care) for comfort and dignity
- Patients generally have a right to know their prognosis, within their cultural and personal preferences
- Showing emotion is not unprofessional if the focus stays on the patient and family
- An unexpected death does not automatically mean an error was made