They say the good die young, and that is most definitely the case in The Resident universe! The Fox medical drama, now available on Netflix, ran for six juicy seasons before it was canceled in April 2023. (Personally, I’m holding out hope for a seventh season via Netflix, but we’ll see.) Set at the fictional Chastain Park Memorial Hospital in Atlanta, the series followed a dedicated team of surgeons, doctors, and nurses as they navigated life-or-death emergencies, a truly alarming amount of medical crimes, and of course, plenty of romance and drama along the way. Lots of said romance and drama centered around Conic, the ship name for senior resident-turned attending physician Conrad Hawkins (Matt Czuchry) and nurse practitioner Nicolette Nevin (Emily VanCamp). That’s why it was SO jarring when Nic suddenly died and we had to watch Conrad grieve her.

There are many, many awful deaths throughout the show, including Lily, a young cancer patient, Bradley, a former Chastain employee, and Nic’s sister, Jessie. But I gotta say… Nic’s death is by far the worst. So, how did Nic Nevin die in The Resident? And why did Emily VanCamp leave the show? Here’s a full breakdown of the fictional tragedy.

When And How Does Nic Nevin Die In The Resident? Why Emily VanCamp Left The Show

When And How Does Nic Nevin Die In The Resident?

In the first two episodes of season 5, Nic is away on a spa trip. But at the end of the second episode, a police officer shows up at Conrad’s house to let him know — you guessed it — that she was in a bad car accident. In the following episode, we find out that Nic suffered a traumatic brain injury and isn’t going to wake up. (I’m still recovering from the news, fiction though it may be.) She’s ultimately declared brain-dead and Conrad, of course, has an extremely difficult time letting her go and moving forward with donating her organs. (That was the nurse practitioner’s wish, of course.) He does eventually accept the tragic reality and move forward with the organ donations. Throughout the rest of season 5, Conrad has to come to terms with losing the love of his life.

Why Did Emily VanCamp Leave The Resident?

After four years of being Nic, Emily was ready to move on from The Resident and focus on her family. She’s married to her gorgeous Revenge costar, Josh Bowman, and they welcomed their first daughter in 2021 — the same year she left The Resident. “We started talking about [my leaving] awhile ago,” Emily shared during an October 2021 interview with Deadline. She explained that after many years on network television, she found that her “priorities shifted.”

“I think there comes a moment in every woman’s life — in every person’s life — where it becomes less about work and more about family, and that’s what happened while I was making the show,” the actress told the outlet. Emily pointed out that filming so many episodes in another city, plus the COVID pandemic made it difficult to see family. She added, “It really solidified for me that family is where my heart is at the moment.”

That being said, she “loved” her time on The Resident and emphasized that there was no “bad blood” with anyone involved. Emily concluded: “This decision was not an easy one for anybody but it was the right one for me, personally.” This reasoning is so valid, but my god… what a BRUTAL character death.