My gf works in an emergency ward in a support role (neither doctor nor nurse). I sometimes wonder how things are affecting her. I ask every so often if she’s ok, and listen when she rants about things.
But I wonder if therapy would help her. It’s a high stress environment even if she’s not the one getting her hands dirty.
Suggestions?
Yes. My wife is a paramedic. I’ve been in emergency services for 12 years. We go to couples therapy to help keep the stress from work infecting our relationship.
Therapy is generally a good thing, but it’s gotta be her decision too. You can’t force therapy on someone.
People in the ER see and experience stuff every day that humans are not supposed to see with any regularity. I highly suggest therapy for anyone, especially those of us in emergency services.
therapy is not a magic “make the trauma go away” button. nobody is designed to experience high levels of stress that frequently. all anyone can do is tolerate the traumatic role for as long as they can and then transition into a more comfortable role when they can’t deal with it anymore.
Well, I would ask her first how she is feeling. Assess, dont assume. I manage ED staff and honestly they’re all okay unless there is a super super depressing case or a very difficult patient.
Otherwise, they’re fine and their work day is very normal for them. There’s even a few that thrive in it.
So unless her rant is about stress, maybe I wouldn’t worry. Lots of people in the hospital just like talking about their day or venting. If it is about stress or something more, there’s a lot of resources and interventions she can try/tap into: EAP, therapy, trying a different area in the hospital, etc.
There’s even a few that thrive in it.
I rather suspect she is one of those types who shines in the chaos. I think her stress comes more from co-workers than the situation.
Oh. Yeah… Coworker issues can be universal no matter what industry lol. But yes! Continue to be there to listen to her and support her. Youre a great partner for asking the question! Therapy wouldn’t hurt but its a very personal decision.
Read the comments, and have worked in similar settings. It’s the toxic coworkers that can cause issues (big time, sometimes). Otherwise the usual stuff some people might find alarming or distressing is just Tuesday really, as it seems like it is for her. It is a great question tbh.
I think therapy is always a good option depending on the person. But answering for myself, no therapy needed. To echo another comment, I don’t really get upset by patient cases, it’s more the coworkers that get to me. It does take a certain type of person to work in the ED. Like you need to be a person of action, you can’t be sensitive, can’t get hung up on small details, just do what you can, no regrets. Some aren’t cut out for it, but they usually don’t last that long and end up transferring to another unit. Idk how long she’s been working in the ED, but if it’s been years now then she’s probably fine lol. And IMO it’s pretty normal for healthcare workers in general to not like talking about work when off the clock lol.
100%. Anything that can get me some time off or help me stay away from that shithole.
