For Nurses, Trauma Can Come With the Job

PTSD and Burnout have been around forever in nursing. The number given of 28% is probably lower than actual since most of the time it goes unreported.
It is only recently that PTSD has been added, prior it was all lumped under burnout. In all the years I practiced, i knew when a vacation was needed, the dreams would wake me up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat.
Many nurses turned to self medication rather than report what was going on in their heads. I know quite a few, anesthetists and other nurses that got caught self medicating. There needs to be more information and ways to ask for help.

Good morning Kim!

There are lots of veterans who will not talk about their experiences and often keep them bottled up. My Grandfather (WWII) and my Father (Vietnam & Persian Gulf) both suffer from PTSD. I've only gotten my Father to open up about his experiences as a FMF Navy Corpsman who served with the Marines. I think he feels better after getting stuff off his chest and talking about them. He belongs to numerous military leagues where he shares the same experiences and it seems to help. I never push him for his stories but am always happy when he wants to share!