4 answers
Victoria
Student
Sanger, Texas
1
Question
Asked
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What are some ways to help build emotional strength for going into the trauma nursing field?
Hey y'all! I'm currently a high school senior who's going into nursing, specifically trauma. I currently have my EMT certification so I have seen something but I know I haven't seen the worst. One of my concerns going into this field of nursing is how am I to cope and comprehend some of the things I see and how can I start now to help build my emotional strength to these things? I am an avid church goer and like to believe I'm relatively strong already. Any advice would be welcomed! Thank y'all so much!
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4 answers
Jacqlyn (Jacki) Clore
Verizon Engineer
2
Answers
Fredericksburg, Virginia
Updated
Jacqlyn (Jacki)’s Answer
It’s fantastic that you’re thinking about this proactively! Trauma nursing is incredibly rewarding but also emotionally demanding. Your EMT experience is a great foundation, and your awareness of the challenges ahead is a strength. I do a lot of work in the trauma care realm and these are some things that have worked for me:
Since you mentioned you have a strong faith, lean into it. Stay Spiritually Grounded with consistent prayer & reflection. It is important to not let the trauma you witness dim your light and faith in what you believe to be truth. Prayer can be a powerful source of comfort, strength, and perspective. Use it to process difficult experiences, ask for guidance, and find peace. Don’t just pray about the events; pray through them. Take time to reflect on what you’ve witnessed, the emotions it stirred, and what you learned from the experience. Journaling can be a helpful tool for this. Consider these questions:
What specific aspects of the situation bothered me most?
What did I learn about myself in this situation?
How can I use this experience to grow as a nurse and as a person?
Find something to be grateful for each day and incorporate gratitude into your journal. Remember that God does make all things good in time.
If you need to, seek spiritual guidance: Talk to a spiritual leader or trusted mentor. They can offer support, perspective, and guidance tailored to your faith.
Prioritize Self-Care: Rest is so important to well being. Nursing is demanding. Protect your sleep. Establish a regular sleep schedule and create a relaxing bedtime routine. Fuel your body with healthy foods. Avoid relying on caffeine and sugary snacks for energy. Physical activity is a great stress reliever. Find an activity you enjoy, and take some time to do it. Make time for activities you enjoy outside of work. This helps you disconnect and recharge so you can be your best YOU. Learn to say “no” to extra commitments when you need to prioritize your well-being.
Self care can also look like: Connecting with Loved Ones/Spending time with family and friends who support you. You can also connect with other nurses, especially those in trauma. They understand the challenges you face and can offer valuable support.
Make room for Laughter & Joy:Find Humor: Even in difficult situations, finding moments of humor can be a powerful coping mechanism. Watch a funny movie or show (Parks N Rec is my fav!), read a humorous book, or spend time with people who make you laugh.
Celebrate Small Wins: Acknowledge and celebrate your accomplishments, both big and small. This helps you stay motivated and positive.
Develop Healthy Coping Mechanisms: After a particularly difficult case, talk to a trusted colleague, supervisor, or therapist. Debriefing helps you process your emotions and prevent burnout. Professional Counseling: Don’t hesitate to seek professional help if you’re struggling to cope. A therapist can provide you with tools and strategies to manage stress, anxiety, and trauma. It's ok to not always be OK!
Learn to Detach: While empathy is essential in nursing, it’s also important to detach emotionally from the patient’s situation. This doesn’t mean you don’t care, but it allows you to provide the best possible care without becoming emotionally overwhelmed. Sometimes the best care and most loving thing you can do for someone is be the strength they need to provide care in the moment with minimal emotion.
Finally, Trust Your Intuition: You have been given a unique perspective and valuable insights. Trust your intuition and don’t be afraid to speak up for yourself and for those who need a voice. Know your worth and advocate for your needs. This includes fair compensation, adequate staffing, and opportunities for professional development. Burn out is real and good management is key. As you gain experience, become a role model for other young women entering the field. Share your knowledge, offer support, and inspire them to achieve their goals too. Build a support system of quality care givers around you.
It may also help to Remember Your “Why”: When things get tough, remember why you chose this path. Your passion for helping others will sustain you through the challenges. For me, my "Why" has evolved as I've learned and that has helped to keep me grounded and focused on all of the good that is being done in difficult situations.
I hope you can incorporate some of these strategies into your life, to aid in building the emotional strength and resilience you need to thrive in the demanding but rewarding field of trauma nursing. Good luck!
Since you mentioned you have a strong faith, lean into it. Stay Spiritually Grounded with consistent prayer & reflection. It is important to not let the trauma you witness dim your light and faith in what you believe to be truth. Prayer can be a powerful source of comfort, strength, and perspective. Use it to process difficult experiences, ask for guidance, and find peace. Don’t just pray about the events; pray through them. Take time to reflect on what you’ve witnessed, the emotions it stirred, and what you learned from the experience. Journaling can be a helpful tool for this. Consider these questions:
What specific aspects of the situation bothered me most?
What did I learn about myself in this situation?
How can I use this experience to grow as a nurse and as a person?
Find something to be grateful for each day and incorporate gratitude into your journal. Remember that God does make all things good in time.
If you need to, seek spiritual guidance: Talk to a spiritual leader or trusted mentor. They can offer support, perspective, and guidance tailored to your faith.
Prioritize Self-Care: Rest is so important to well being. Nursing is demanding. Protect your sleep. Establish a regular sleep schedule and create a relaxing bedtime routine. Fuel your body with healthy foods. Avoid relying on caffeine and sugary snacks for energy. Physical activity is a great stress reliever. Find an activity you enjoy, and take some time to do it. Make time for activities you enjoy outside of work. This helps you disconnect and recharge so you can be your best YOU. Learn to say “no” to extra commitments when you need to prioritize your well-being.
Self care can also look like: Connecting with Loved Ones/Spending time with family and friends who support you. You can also connect with other nurses, especially those in trauma. They understand the challenges you face and can offer valuable support.
Make room for Laughter & Joy:Find Humor: Even in difficult situations, finding moments of humor can be a powerful coping mechanism. Watch a funny movie or show (Parks N Rec is my fav!), read a humorous book, or spend time with people who make you laugh.
Celebrate Small Wins: Acknowledge and celebrate your accomplishments, both big and small. This helps you stay motivated and positive.
Develop Healthy Coping Mechanisms: After a particularly difficult case, talk to a trusted colleague, supervisor, or therapist. Debriefing helps you process your emotions and prevent burnout. Professional Counseling: Don’t hesitate to seek professional help if you’re struggling to cope. A therapist can provide you with tools and strategies to manage stress, anxiety, and trauma. It's ok to not always be OK!
Learn to Detach: While empathy is essential in nursing, it’s also important to detach emotionally from the patient’s situation. This doesn’t mean you don’t care, but it allows you to provide the best possible care without becoming emotionally overwhelmed. Sometimes the best care and most loving thing you can do for someone is be the strength they need to provide care in the moment with minimal emotion.
Finally, Trust Your Intuition: You have been given a unique perspective and valuable insights. Trust your intuition and don’t be afraid to speak up for yourself and for those who need a voice. Know your worth and advocate for your needs. This includes fair compensation, adequate staffing, and opportunities for professional development. Burn out is real and good management is key. As you gain experience, become a role model for other young women entering the field. Share your knowledge, offer support, and inspire them to achieve their goals too. Build a support system of quality care givers around you.
It may also help to Remember Your “Why”: When things get tough, remember why you chose this path. Your passion for helping others will sustain you through the challenges. For me, my "Why" has evolved as I've learned and that has helped to keep me grounded and focused on all of the good that is being done in difficult situations.
I hope you can incorporate some of these strategies into your life, to aid in building the emotional strength and resilience you need to thrive in the demanding but rewarding field of trauma nursing. Good luck!
Elyse Crotty
Certified Surgical Technologist
42
Answers
Jacksonville, Florida
Updated
Elyse’s Answer
Remember this: everyone can be shocked by what they see, many people can feel empathy for the sick/injured person, but only a small percentage of people can actually help this person & do something to affect their care, and therefore their clinical outcomes, and their life. Be the person that helps. In the moment of a trauma, put everything aside and do anything/everything to help them - because that is what they need right now. The time for being shocked and/or feeling bad for them can come after you help them. This prioritizes patient care while also keeping you human.
Susana Appiah
MIDWIFE
98
Answers
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Updated
Susana’s Answer
Hello Victoria,
You're already ahead of the game with that mindset — being EMT-certified as a high school senior and actively thinking about your emotional resilience shows maturity and purpose. Here are some practical and faith-rooted ways to build emotional strength for trauma nursing:
1. Strengthen Your Support System
Build a circle of trusted people — mentors, church friends, family, or even a counselor — who you can talk to when things get heavy.
Trauma work will test you emotionally, and having safe people to vent to is vital.
2. Train Your Mind
Journaling: After difficult shifts or EMT calls, write down what you saw, how you felt, and what helped or hurt. This builds emotional awareness.
Desensitization with boundaries: Watch trauma simulations, real-life case documentaries, or read books written by trauma nurses to build perspective gradually — but step back when it feels like too much.
Grounding exercises like deep breathing, body scanning, or praying through scripture during stressful moments can anchor you.
3. Faith as a Foundation
Lean on your faith when you feel weak. Trauma work often brings up deep questions about suffering and justice — staying spiritually rooted gives you a bigger perspective.
Keep a “Scripture Survival Kit” — favorite verses that remind you of peace, strength, and purpose.
Psalm 46:1, 2 Corinthians 12:9, Isaiah 41:10 are good ones for hard shifts.
4. Practice Compassion, Not Absorption
Care deeply, but don’t carry everything. Learning to be present with patients without internalizing their trauma is a muscle you’ll build over time.
Compassion fatigue is real — but manageable when you care for yourself just as intentionally as you care for others.
5. Get Comfortable with the Messy
You’ll never be 100% “ready” for everything you’ll see — but you can be willing.
When you go in knowing your "why" (serving others, being a light in chaos), that purpose protects your peace.
Bonus Habits to Start Now:
Volunteer in ER or hospital settings to gradually expand your emotional capacity.
Debrief with mentors after intense calls/shifts.
Read books like “The Shift” by Theresa Brown or “Intensive Care” by Echo Heron for real stories from nurses.
You’re doing amazing, and trauma nursing needs hearts like yours — strong, faithful, and empathetic. You won’t always feel brave, but you’ll keep showing up — and that’s what makes you a healer.
Faith-Based Affirmations for Trauma Nursing You can say these daily, before shifts, or after emotionally tough moments: “God is my strength when I feel weak. I do not carry this alone.” (Isaiah 41:10) “I am called to bring peace into chaos. I am a vessel of healing.” (2 Corinthians 1:3–4) “Even in the darkest moments, God is with me and with those I serve.” (Psalm 23:4) “I don’t have to have all the answers; I just have to show up with love.” “My heart is strong because it is anchored in God’s truth.” 🕊️ Faith-Based Coping Tools 1. Worship Wind-Down After a hard day, take 10–15 minutes to put on worship music (e.g., Maverick City, Kari Jobe, Upper Room), sit quietly, and let your emotions settle in God’s presence. No need to fix anything — just be. 2. Prayer Journal for Patients & Peace Keep a small notebook where you jot prayers for patients you saw that day or scriptures that kept you going. It helps you release emotional burdens and builds a beautiful reflection of your journey. 3. “God, Use My Hands” Morning Prayer “Lord, use my hands to bring healing today. Guide my eyes to see pain, my ears to hear fear, and my heart to respond in love. Protect my peace and remind me that You are the true healer. Amen.” 4. Scripture on Rotation Tape a few Bible verses to your locker, badge reel, or inside your planner. Swap them out weekly. Some great ones: Philippians 4:7 – Peace that passes all understanding Proverbs 3:5–6 – Trusting even when it’s hard Romans 8:28 – God works even in tragedy 🌱 Bonus: A Grounding Prayer for Crisis Moments “Jesus, be here. Be with me and be with them. Let me breathe peace into this pain. Remind me I’m not alone. Amen.”
You're already ahead of the game with that mindset — being EMT-certified as a high school senior and actively thinking about your emotional resilience shows maturity and purpose. Here are some practical and faith-rooted ways to build emotional strength for trauma nursing:
1. Strengthen Your Support System
Build a circle of trusted people — mentors, church friends, family, or even a counselor — who you can talk to when things get heavy.
Trauma work will test you emotionally, and having safe people to vent to is vital.
2. Train Your Mind
Journaling: After difficult shifts or EMT calls, write down what you saw, how you felt, and what helped or hurt. This builds emotional awareness.
Desensitization with boundaries: Watch trauma simulations, real-life case documentaries, or read books written by trauma nurses to build perspective gradually — but step back when it feels like too much.
Grounding exercises like deep breathing, body scanning, or praying through scripture during stressful moments can anchor you.
3. Faith as a Foundation
Lean on your faith when you feel weak. Trauma work often brings up deep questions about suffering and justice — staying spiritually rooted gives you a bigger perspective.
Keep a “Scripture Survival Kit” — favorite verses that remind you of peace, strength, and purpose.
Psalm 46:1, 2 Corinthians 12:9, Isaiah 41:10 are good ones for hard shifts.
4. Practice Compassion, Not Absorption
Care deeply, but don’t carry everything. Learning to be present with patients without internalizing their trauma is a muscle you’ll build over time.
Compassion fatigue is real — but manageable when you care for yourself just as intentionally as you care for others.
5. Get Comfortable with the Messy
You’ll never be 100% “ready” for everything you’ll see — but you can be willing.
When you go in knowing your "why" (serving others, being a light in chaos), that purpose protects your peace.
Bonus Habits to Start Now:
Volunteer in ER or hospital settings to gradually expand your emotional capacity.
Debrief with mentors after intense calls/shifts.
Read books like “The Shift” by Theresa Brown or “Intensive Care” by Echo Heron for real stories from nurses.
You’re doing amazing, and trauma nursing needs hearts like yours — strong, faithful, and empathetic. You won’t always feel brave, but you’ll keep showing up — and that’s what makes you a healer.
Susana recommends the following next steps:
Kassi Adams
RN- Clinical Consultant
4
Answers
Chattanooga, Tennessee
Updated
Kassi’s Answer
Hello,
Thank you for your thoughtful question. As a fellow nurse and Christian, I have found it invaluable to remain grounded in my faith throughout my nursing career. The profession can expose you to unimaginable situations, and the emotional toll can be significant. It is crucial to be aware of any changes in your mental, emotional, and physical well-being, as physical strain can exacerbate psychological stress.
In my experience across various specialties, maintaining perspective has been essential during challenging times. I view myself as a stranger to my patients and their families, but my faith reassures me that I am placed in their lives for a reason. By focusing on being a supportive presence and offering strength to those who need it more than I do at that moment, I stay grounded and committed to my responsibilities. Often, I find strength in realizing that I may be the only person in the room capable of providing support at that time.
There have been many occasions when I have cried after a shift, and that is perfectly acceptable—it is necessary to process your emotions. Embrace your compassionate nature, which led you to choose a career dedicated to helping others.
I am excited about your journey in nursing and commend you for taking a proactive approach to remain strong for your future patients.
Thank you for your thoughtful question. As a fellow nurse and Christian, I have found it invaluable to remain grounded in my faith throughout my nursing career. The profession can expose you to unimaginable situations, and the emotional toll can be significant. It is crucial to be aware of any changes in your mental, emotional, and physical well-being, as physical strain can exacerbate psychological stress.
In my experience across various specialties, maintaining perspective has been essential during challenging times. I view myself as a stranger to my patients and their families, but my faith reassures me that I am placed in their lives for a reason. By focusing on being a supportive presence and offering strength to those who need it more than I do at that moment, I stay grounded and committed to my responsibilities. Often, I find strength in realizing that I may be the only person in the room capable of providing support at that time.
There have been many occasions when I have cried after a shift, and that is perfectly acceptable—it is necessary to process your emotions. Embrace your compassionate nature, which led you to choose a career dedicated to helping others.
I am excited about your journey in nursing and commend you for taking a proactive approach to remain strong for your future patients.