The patient who walks in the trauma unit next may be suffering from inexpressible pain and suffering. Perhaps they are suffering from kidney stones. Perhaps they took drugs and overdosed. Perhaps they fell down and hurt themselves. Or perhaps they cut themselves while doing something carelessly. Whatever the patient is suffering from, their pain is something that you as a nurse have to deal with.

It’s not easy being a trauma nurse. Even though physicians are in charge of emergency rooms, the nurses are the ones who have to deal with much of the immediate care of the patient. Such a job can be extremely stressful and take a toll on you, no matter how hard you try to separate yourself from your work. A lot of nurses and medical professionals are turning to relaxation techniques such as yoga, breathing exercises, and mindfulness meditation to deal with the high-pressure, high-stress work they have to do on a regular basis each day.

If you’re in psychiatry and female, then beware because that has one of the highest suicide rates. For some reason, distancing oneself from the patient with mental illness is extremely difficult, even more than distancing oneself from a patient suffering physically. What these statistics reveal is that it is extremely important for caregivers to take care of themselves. When people in the care-giving professions think they have no problem and yet have no regular plan to care for themselves, it may be a red flag. Travel nursing is becoming an increasingly popular trend in the profession now, because many nurses feel stuck in their profession and unable to cope with the increased demands on their time and attention. Don’t imagine that being a nurse in a trauma unit is easy. Remember, when you care for yourself, you can care for others better.