Case Study: Compassion Fatigue In Nursing

Compassion Fatigue in Nursing

Kaila Clarke

College of Lake County

Nursing 234

October 18, 2017

Compassion Fatigue, also known as “vicarious traumatization” or secondary traumatization is the emotional residue or strain of exposure to working with those suffering from the consequences of traumatic events. It differs from burn-out, but can co-exist (Briscoe, 2015). Compassion Fatigue was originally a phrase used to describe nurses working in hospice caring for terminally ill patients and the stress associated. However, throughout the years the term is now applied to all nurses working in clinical environments (Thompson, 2013). Compassion Fatigue can be sudden in onset and be triggered by exposure to traumatic patient experiences from which the nurses concerned cannot separate their feelings of stress and anxiety. In contrast, burnout tends to be a gradual process, leading to low levels of motivation and job satisfaction, and it can be linked to the day-to-day challenges of working in health care. Studies suggest that burnout may be a precursor to compassion fatigue (Thompson,

It’s a serious issue that cannot only affect how well nurses are able to perform at their jobs, but can also impact their long-term mental health. The constant trauma nurses witness can lead to a debilitating weariness (Compassion Fatigue, 2015). “8-percent of nurses caring for end-of-life patients is at risk for compassion fatigue because of their constant exposure to trauma, anxiety and feelings of empathy” (Compassion Fatigue, 2015). Instead of allowing themselves to express these emotions nurses commonly keep to themselves and focus their attention on providing patient care. However, by suppressing these feelings, these emotions can cause nurses to eventually experience emotional/mental and physical symptoms, lose empathy for patients and affect their overall work ethic (Compassion Fatigue,