Answer 3 for PHI 413 Based on your clinical experiences with those who are dying, how have these experiences shaped your view of death and impacted your ability to demonstrate the qualities of empathy?

Answer 3 for PHI 413 Based on your clinical experiences with those who are dying, how have these experiences shaped your view of death and impacted your ability to demonstrate the qualities of empathy?

My clinical experiences with patients who are dying often have a profound impact on me, shaping my views of death and influencing my ability to demonstrate qualities of empathy. These experiences provide me with unique insights into the end-of-life process, which significantly influence my perspectives and approach to caring for terminally ill patients. Caring for dying patients has taught me a deepened understanding of the fragility and preciousness of life. Witnessing the physical, emotional, and spiritual challenges faced by patients near the end of life has instilled in me a sense of humility and reverence for the dying process. Dealing with patients’ deaths requires appropriate knowledge, skills, and mechanisms to cope with such situations (Kang et al., 2021). This firsthand exposure to the realities of death and dying has encouraged me to develop a more compassionate and empathetic approach to care. According to Peters et al. (2013), clinically encountering death enhances the nurse’s empathetic abilities.

As I provide care to terminally ill patients, my encounters with death inevitably shape my worldview and impact my ability to empathize with patients and their families. Witnessing the physical and emotional struggles faced by dying patients often prompts me to reflect deeply on the meaning and inevitability of death. These experiences cultivate a greater awareness of the fragility of life and the importance of cherishing each moment. My Christian faith often plays a pivotal role in providing comfort and solace amidst the challenges encountered in end-of-life care. Ecclesiastes 3:1-2a says: For everything there is a season and a time for every matter under heaven; a time to be born and a time to die. Hebrews 9:27 says that people are destined to die once and, after that, to face judgment. These Bible quotations help me to understand death as a transition to eternal life and to embrace the hope of eternal life. My clinical experiences with dying patients foster the development of empathy in me. Empathy is characterized by a nurse’s ability to understand the feelings, experiences, or psychosocial abilities of their patients, playing a crucial role in establishing a positive nurse-patient relationship and offering high-quality nursing care (Rushton et al., 2017). Efficient communication and understanding of patients’ feelings, opinions, and experiences are crucial for personalized care (Kang et al., 2021).

The increased understanding of the patient’s pain, fear, and grief enables me to provide compassionate care that addresses the holistic needs of the patient, such as engaging in active listening to understand patients’ concerns, providing comfort through prayer and spiritual discussions, providing a safe space for patients to express their emotions, and adopting a compassionate approach to alleviate patients’ emotional distress. These encounters with dying patients have led to a heightened sensitivity toward patients’ emotional well-being, allowing me to create a supportive environment for both the patient and their family members.

Kang, J., Kim, S. H., & Kim, S. J. (2021). Factors influencing nurses’ attitudes towards death and caring for dying patients in Korea. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(11), 5758. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18115758

Peters, L., Cant, R., Payne, S., O’Connor, M., McDermott, F., Hood, K., Morphet, J., & Shimoinaba, K. (2013). How death anxiety impacts nurses’ caring for patients at the end of life: a review of literature. The Open Nursing Journal, 7, 14.

Rushton, C. H., Wocial, L. D., Zalenski, R. J., & Gilliam, R. (2017). Empathy and the End-of-Life Experience. Journal of Hospice & Palliative Nursing, 19(3), 232-239. https://doi.org/10.1097/NJH.0000000000000344