Gun violence: Nurses share horror and heartbreak

In this issue, we’re highlighting a special project we recently published on gun violence. I’m Ron Southwick, senior editor of Chief Healthcare Executive?.?

We spoke to emergency nurses about dealing with gun violence on a regular basis. Over a series of five stories, nurses offered a fascinating perspective on gun violence.

These nurses have spent years, and even decades, in emergency medicine, and they spoke candidly about the impact of gun violence. They talk about the anguish of loved ones of those killed by guns, and how they deal with the horrors they see on a regular basis.?

As one nurse said, “Gun violence is such an everyday thing.”

Read more: The toll of gun violence, seen through the eyes of nurses

A nurse with UChicago Medicine talks about the stress and heartache of routinely treating patients who are injured or killed by gunfire. She talks about patients who she has treated with gunshot wounds, and then seeing them in the emergency department after being shot again.

She also stresses the importance of seeking help when getting overwhelmed, and urges other emergency nurses to get assistance when they need it.

“A lot of times, I don't think you realize it because your symptoms can present like physical symptoms,” she said.

Read more: Emergency nurses treating gun violence can’t ignore the pain

Even after treating victims of gun violence for years, a UPMC nurse said it remains difficult. She grew emotional when talking about the fatal shooting of a 14-year-old boy, and having to take the boy’s mother back to see her son.

“I can still see her face,” she said. “This was like five years ago. I see her face all the time.”

Read more: For an emergency nurse, dealing with gun violence never gets easier

An emergency nurse at Huntsville Hospital said it’s particularly painful to treat children who have been wounded by firearms.?

“Those are tough, those are hard pills to swallow,” he said. “You remember those cases, you remember those situations, especially when you know they were very preventable.”

Read more: Treating children wounded by gun violence: ‘They always scar’

After seeing victims of gun violence, a nurse in Baltimore talks about the desire to help train other emergency nurses.?

He said he wants to show nurses “the humanitarian aspect of what we do. To realize a patient is not a body or a number, but a person with a story.”

Read more: Gun violence prompts emergency nurses to train others

Take a look at these moving stories from the nurses who treat victims of gun violence, who comfort and console their families, and try to cope as best as they can. Our special thanks to the Emergency Nurses Association for their assistance with this project.?

In the coming weeks, look for more stories on what hospitals and health systems can expect in 2025, and President Donald Trump's return to the White House and the implications for healthcare. Thanks for reading, and take care.