Have you ever worked in a situation where you've been in close proximity to, or perhaps even worked with or on, critically ill or injured persons or persons who have died Do you feel that having had this experience has had any lasting impact on your personality in general or your mental health issues in particular

I worked my way through college as, what used to be called, an "Orderly". Nowadays I guess the term would be: "nursing assistant". Over the years, I worked at two major medical centers and one small town hospital. I worked primarily in the emergency departments and in surgery. So I had occasion to work with & around people who had been in serious auto accidents, people who had been burned, shot, etc. Many of them were in critical condition, but were still alive. Some of them came in dead. Some of them died at the hospital.

These experiences happened many years ago. As far as I can tell, this never had any significant effect on me. It was part of my job & I did it. On the other hand, I sometimes wonder if these experiences had more of an impact than I realize. So I'd be interested in hearing from other PC'ers who've had similar experiences. What do you think Do you think your experiences shaped your personality or contributed to your mental health struggles in any way