A nurse cared for a terminally ill patient for over a month and always looked forward to spending time with the patient. When the patient died, the nurse experienced sadness and felt mildly depressed. Eventually, the nurse explains these feelings to a mentor. The mentor should counsel the nurse:
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: The nurse is experiencing disenfranchised grief. Nurses often incur loss that is not openly acknowledged or publicly mourned. The loss of a patient may not be recognized or acknowledged by others; therefore the grief is solitary and uncomforted and may be difficult to resolve.
Nokea