Compassion fatigue can be especially prevalent among health practitioners, nurses, and first responders.
Professionals that work with victims of trauma are at risk for experiencing
compassion fatigue. Joinson (1992) defined the concept of
compassion fatigue (CF) in nurses as a type of burnout that their profession set them up for and of which they would almost likely experience at some point.
I hope this information will provide readers with the knowledge that they are not alone in having feelings of
compassion fatigue. I also hope it encourages those veterinarians experiencing
compassion fatigue to find ways to help improve their quality of life, both inside and outside of work, and to seek help if they need it.
People in helping professions are at high risk for burnout and
compassion fatigue. Nurses who provide care to others, especially in oncology, hospice, and long-term care settings, are at risk of developing burnout and
compassion fatigue.
Individuals suffering from
compassion fatigue may begin to experience the physical and emotional trauma that results from caring for others in need (Glicken & Robinson, 2013).
Compassion fatigue is the physical, emotional, and spiritual result of chronic self-sacrifice and/or prolonged exposure to difficult situations that renders a person unable to love, nurture, care for, or empathize with another's suffering.
Treating
Compassion Fatigue. New York: BrunnerRoutledge; 2002:107-19.
Countering
compassion fatigue: A requisite nursing agenda.
* Conduct intervention studies testing strategies to alleviate
compassion fatigue and moral distress to maintain a healthy workforce.
The increase in nurse burnout and
compassion fatigue has been the subject of numerous studies, books, and articles.
There had been a huge surge in research about moral distress,
compassion fatigue and burnout in nursing, associated with risk factors of anxiety and depression.
Cost is $30 for "Reclaiming Your Vital Power: Exploring
Compassion Fatigue & Blind Compassion." Register at info@cascadecsl.org or 541-747-3887.
