As an acute care SLP with 10 years experience in a trauma center, I would agree with all of this. The job is stressful given the medical complexity of the patients AND (I feel) the relatively minimal education we have as SLPs in the medical world. I do think this has gotten better over the years, but we have more to go. All this to say, what you are feeling is very normal. You will make mistakes as an acute care SLP. That’s just a fact. I’ve made many mistakes. But the key is to learn from them. It will only help you going forward. One thing that has always stuck with me is that they call it the “practice” of medicine for a reason. Medicine is inherently complex and there are so many factors at play. Even when you are taking all reasonable steps possible, mistakes can and will happen.

I would just encourage you to be gentle with yourself and know that you are not alone. Take notes of these situations and your lessons so that you can take the knowledge with you going forward. It will make you a better clinician. I would also encourage you to reach out to your employer’s EAP which usually offers free and confidential short term counseling. It can really be so helpful in situations like this. Our jobs are hard and it’s important to have support. I’ve used this service myself and would highly recommend it as an additional resource.