We are at the end of our law and ethics/med term/A&P module, and the homework tonight is on the chapter regarding death and dying :( Right now I am reading about physician assisted suicide and it is totally depressing!! And it tells you how to legally and ethically discuss the patients terminal illness with them, and what is ok to say or not to say and how to go about talking to them and it just makes my heart break! :unlove There is one thing I know for sure after I graduate, I could never work in a home or hospice! That would be tooo toooo hard :tears

Oh my gosh! I'm working on my BASW (bachelors in social work) and we're reading the same thing right now! You're right, it is depressing. Definitely not what I would prefer to spend my evening reading... :)

Seriously!! I cant wait to get through with this module!!!!

I know! I definitely have to agree with you that working in hospice is so NOT in my future. I keep having to take breaks from my reading to regroup and cheer myself up. Ugh.

We had a discussion like that for our radiology class. But our's was about how we as health care workers deal with death and dying and working with terminally ill patients. Thankfully it was an online discussion because I was bawling my eyes out writing my response.

i'm taking an entire CLASS called "grief, death, loss, and life"

you can bet i leave each week feeling quite depressed...:pukey

oh, i'm going for my MSW (master's in social work)...super fun...

my other exciting/depressing class this semester is crisis intervention...we're currently discussing suicide :tu

I view it from the other end. If I can help my patients or their families transition thru the period easier then I feel a great sense of accomplishment. Death is very hard, but it happens, it's going to happen to everyone and talking thru things for the patients and their families allows them to deal with their feelings BEFORE the patient is gone and they can no longer tell them. :dunno just my point of view.
Sometimes it's easier for the patient to pass knowing that they have left their family with no unanswered questions. And discussing the end beforehand allows the patients wishes to be heard and met and the familiy to be guilt free.