Bearer of bad tidings

Giving out bad news to relatives has never been easy for me. Being the bearer of such bad tidings comes as part and parcel of the job - especially in the area that I work in which is in the intensive care unit. Unfortunately in the intensive care unit ICU, death comes far easier and simpler than in other less critical areas. It is almost an everyday affair to see the orderlies dressed in white come in with their covered trolleys and the patient covered in a white sheet from head to toe leaving the ICU for the last time.

Had a really bad call just yesterday and the fact that I had two patients leaving made it much worse. Lectures and notes from medical school doesn't help much when it comes to grieving mothers crying silent tears on your shoulder. And hollow words of condolences doesn't help ease the misery written in the blank eyes of the members of the family.

Often my friends who are not in the same profession wonder whether we do feel anything. I think it would be a hard, coldhearted monster who could actually feel nothing in the presence of such palpable grief. I have heard some members of the staff accused of being cold and unfeeling but it certainly wouldn't do for the doctor and nurses to break into helpless tears at such a critical juncture either so we all adopt a calm, concerned demanour when there are some of us who are already moments away from joining in the tears.