To the healthcare worker

Trust me, we all have those days. So I work in a major trauma center; I see hundreds of people at their most venerable moments.

Most if not all healthcare workers will tell you that we all have a day where we just break down and cry. Most times, in front of everyone. It could be over losing your pen, something going wrong with a patient, or even just being hangry and needing to use the bathroom, and not being able to leave because your patient comes first.

I've worked in healthcare for two years now. Six months of that time spent in a locked dementia unit, a year on an inpatient orthopedic trauma unit, and six months in the emergency department. I can confess to having three of the days where I've either, cried in the bathroom, cried in front of a patient, or cried in front of an entire emergency room.

But know that we are all humans, and we all have moments like this. I can say that I've cried in front of the emergency room attending and one of my favorite attending physicians, because my patients were really sick, I had no backup, I was hungry, and I needed to use the bathroom. I definitely wasn't proud, but it got to the point where the hanger was overbearing, and I just broke down and cried. So don't be ashamed, we work in a stressful line of work. It's okay to be a human and let your emotions be involved. It's okay to cry in front of your patient because no one is listening. It's okay to cry because you've been stuck with four combative patients and you have no back up. It's okay to cry because you're hangry and your food is on its way to you.

Just remember, that our job is not easy. But we always come first, even if it means explaining why you look like you just cried for an hour. We all have these days.