Painful stimulus: absorbing and assimilating grief and loss in HIV nursing practice.

To explore grief and loss in nursing care, it is not enough to touch upon it as an occupational hazard to be dealt with. It is also necessary to touch upon our feelings. Internal emotions motivate our external reactions and motivations. They also teach us and guide us. Our reactions, both short-term and long-term, may be both positive and negative. In either case, we need to understand these feelings in order to continue in a positive way within our personal and professional lives.