He has ended it this morning - please help me this morning. Something just happened in the supermarket....

[CakesRus3]

He has ended things. I had a bit of a cry. Pulled myself together as I needed to go to work. Knew today was going to be hard as I felt a knot of anxiety in my tummy. I knew I had to push through though, no matter how sad I felt.
I had to go and get a few bits from the supermarket before work (I'm a mental health nurse). A man had collapsed and as I was passing a lady saw my nhs badge and asked if I could take a look at this man. I'm newly qualified and tried not to panic. He was in recovery position and responsive. Apparently he has a heart condition. His temp seemed ok by touch and he had colour in his cheeks. I said hello and asked what happened. There were about 8 people looking at me. I started to feel panicky. They asked me what a certain medication was and I didn't know. I sat there for about 5 mins whilst a lady who worked there comforted him. I asked if they had called the ambulance, they had. Everyone was looking at me and I did nothing. I didn't know what to do. I had to leave, I felt I couldn't breathe. I said I had to go to work. I told the man to take care. I left. I was useless, absolutely useless. They called me over to help and I did nothing. I'm supposed to be a nurse.
I am now at home, I can't even drive. I just feel awful. I can't stop crying.

You’re a specialist mental health nurse, you’re not expected to know everything about nursing! Im in Property law and if somebody asked me something about Employment law I would only be able to do the same as you did. Hold their hand a little bit but look blankly if asked anything specific!

Hope you’re okay

that sounds like just too much to deal with given the circumstances. Don't be hard on yourself this would all be too much for many people

I’m a mental health nurse too, sounds like you didn’t need to do anything to be honest, he was responsive, in recovery position, and ambulance had been called, what more could / should you have done. As for not knowing the name of a medication, I’m a NMP and I know lots about psychotropic meds, a little about common physical meds and the most about how to look other drug names and interactions up. Don’t give yourself a harm time for not knowing everything, you are a specialist in MH not general nursing. Also you had your head full of other stuff. Relax, rest and be kind to yourSelf, oh and take badge off in public xx

sounds like you did fine to me - you checked all the important things, made sure they'd called an ambulance and took yourself out of the way once you'd done that. Go easy on yourself. It's been a tough day already for you and its only 10:12am

Well you've had a shit morning haven't you!

He was breathing, in the recovery position, looked and felt ok and was comfortable. An ambulance was on the way.

You did the absolute best you could in the circumstances. You're a mental health nurse, not an A&E staff member on duty!

Be good to yourself.

Sounds like you did what was needed and more than many others could have done.
Take care of yourself x

Cakes, you be very kind to yourself here. You’ve just had a traumatic emotional experience this morning, you are brave to even get out of the house. The incident that happened - sounds to me like you did all you could. You probably ‘felt’ under pressure/everyone looking - but ‘nhs’ badge could mean anything - newly qualified, psychiatric care - rather than necessarily knowing about medication/heart condition. You HELPED (what if they hadn’t called an ambulance??) you cared- after a horrible start to the morning. It sounds like the guy was ok. Be kind to yourself xx

Thankyou everyone. In my head I told myself, he was breathing, responsive, in recovery and ambulance had been called. However, I didn't say that out loud. I should have said I was a mental health nurse. Maybe they all needed reassuring, especially the gent on the floor. I didn't though. I felt useless. Then had a melt down.

There was nothing more you could do. He had people with him, he wasin the recovery position and an ambulance was on it's way. I'm a community nurse and have rung ambulances for patients and left them with family members with instructions to ring the emergency services if anything changes. Two of my colleagues were in a similar situation where someone collapsed in a supermarket whilst they were getting lunch. They left in the end as the ambulance was on it's way and there were people with him. Sounds like you've had a rubbish morning. Don't be so hard on yourself.

You could not have done any more than had already been done.
He was responsive and already in the recovery position.
What more could you have done???
Nothing.
Do NOT beat yourself up about this.
You are not a doctor.

Anyone with an NHS badge gets my utmost respect particularly at the moment - and teachers. Whatever area of healthcare you are in - you are a total goddess xx

If someone came to you with this scenario, as a mental health nurse, what would you say?

Listen: If a nurse, any kind of nurse, told me they had to go to work, and they themselves weren't panicking about my situation, they asked if I'd called an ambulance, checked temperature etc, I would take that as reassuring.

A nurse checked him over. We did all the right things. We wait for the ambulance now.

That would be enough for me, seriously.

Please don't blame yourself, your a mind nurse, I bet if he had been in a position to need calming you could have done that .
Sorry you had a bad morning. Hugs

I get called in to help every time someone is taken Ill at church. I'm a paediatric nurse. I don't have a clue what to do with adults. I feel really out of my depth.

Ok, thankyou everyone. Thankyou for your kind words. I really needed them. I don't know what happened to me. I'm trying to calm myself down before I go to work.

Don't beat yourself up.

Thank you for stopping and assessing that man. Thank you for being such a comforting presence to that man and the people around him. Thank you for not pretending to know what that medicine was out of false pride. I don't think you realise how much better I would feel with you, a HCP, waiting with me until the ambulance arrived. You are a star and you don't even know it.

Please dont be so hard on yourself. You will have done so very much more than you think. People would be reassured by your presence and lack of panic. And in fairness your speciality is mental health you cant be expected to know everything.. i think nurses of any kind are awesome wonderful people.

Sorry your hurting. Be kind to yourself x

You did absolutely fine. Be kind to yourself

You did all that you could in the circumstances and for that you should be commended. Do not beat yourself up over this further.

Like others said you checked everything was ok an it was. Presumably the supermarket staff person was trained in first aid and they were doing what they are trained to do.

Give yourself a little tic too. Sounds like you have enough on your plate. But you got it right this morning. Presumably you are needed at work and as long as everything was being done that is where you should be.

Lots of people don't realise that, when you're a qualified nurse, you then specialise in various areas. No one can know everything about every condition there is, or every medication (especially not when things change all the time, and so rapidly too).

Thank you for being a kind, caring person, and for stopping to reassure that gentleman, I'm not sure what else you could have done; the ambulance was on its way, there was colour in his cheeks, he was in the recovery position and breathing. As a mental health nurse, what more could you have done? Once he's at hospital the A&E team and the cardio people will likely check him out as soon as they can.

These are not normal times for any of us; well done on getting out of the house this morning at all, in the circumstances! Hope the rest of your day goes better.

They didn't see your courage but you have bucket loads. You did the right things. You did enough. Deep breath and well done.

TLC - not a tic