Learning Objective #1: Describe at least four risk situations a nurse who is experiencing grief may encounter

Learning Objective #2: Describe positive interventions for nurses experiencing personal grief

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Nurses experience high rates of professional burnout when working in oncology environments but we, as a profession tend to ignore the stresses that our personal grief brings to us. Nurses experience the same stages of Kubler-Ross's stages of grief when they lose a loved one, go through a traumatic divorce, or any other stressful separation. Several studies in palliative care have identified that nurses often don't even recognize when they are experiencing grief. That makes it hard to initiate self-care when recognition that a problem exists hasn't even occurred. Self-caring is the fuel that restores nurses' unique ability to continue to meet the complex needs of their personal and professional life. Nurses need to separate and balance their professional and personal lives. This becomes difficult when nurses in the stages of grief try to care for patients or families. In the initial phases of the grief process, it is not unusual for memory lapses, delayed response time, apathy, and anger to be manifested. This can translate to medical errors, loss of productivity and morale, patient safety concerns, and even an emotional or psychological crisis for the nurse. Eventually, the nurses will be able to use his/her grief experience to enhance patient care and return to a healthy perspective of their own personal life. Using creative self-care strategies like catharsis through submitting the grief experience for publication in nursing communities so others may benefit, becoming a member of the Palliative care team, forming bereavement outlet activities, and even grief anniversary celebrations or “roasts” may help to heal the grieving nurse and benefit the profession as a whole while improving patient care.