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Running head: COMPASSION FATIGUE 1

Compassion Fatigue

Carlie Eaves

Brigham Young University-Idaho


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Compassion Fatigue

Late nights at the hospital, double shifts, patients with critical and constant needs,

seemingly endless to-do lists; all these things are common experiences and challenges for a

nurse. With all they do on a daily basis, it seems as if nurses have an infinite capacity to lift those

around them and show limitless amounts of compassion to their patients. Unfortunately, this is

not the case. Though nurses have an extraordinary ability to show compassion, they are limited

as to how much they can give before experiencing negative effects to their health and well-being,

a condition called compassion fatigue.

Compassion Fatigue: What is it?

The concept of compassion fatigue is broad and covers many other work-related

disorders. For this reason, it is difficult to develop one definition to define the term. According to

the American Nurse Today journal, “compassion fatigue has been defined as loss of satisfaction

that comes from doing one’s job well, or job-related distress that outweighs job satisfaction”

(Sheppard, 2016, para. 3). When the costs of a job on a nurse’s health, social skills, family life,

and spiritual well-being becomes greater than the benefits of providing nursing care, then the

nurse becomes overwhelmed and is not able to continue providing the highest quality nursing

care. This leads the nurse to become discouraged and possibly leave the profession or find a new

environment in which to work. Suzanne Brint, an experienced oncology nurse, explained

compassion fatigue in this manner:

There is a cost to caring. Professionals who listen to client’s stories of fear, pain and

suffering may feel similar fear, pain, and suffering because they care. Sometimes we feel

we are losing our sense of self to the clients we serve. (2017, p. 305)
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Though caring is not inherently bad, an overload in the compassion a nurse must give every day

coupled with low amounts of praise and recognition can cause the nurse, as Brint explained, to

lose his or her sense of self and become dissatisfied with the work he or she is performing.

This dissatisfaction is not a sudden occurrence, but, rather, comes after several weeks or

months, or even years of overburdened caregiving. An article in The Journal of Nursing

Administration states,

Compassion fatigue is the final result of a progressive and cumulative process, which is

caused by prolonged, continuous, and intense contact with patients, the use of self and

exposure to stress, which manifests with marked physical, social, emotional, spiritual,

and intellectual changes that increase in intensity. (Neville & Cole, 2013, p. 348)

The root of compassion fatigue is not the nursing skills or the difficult patients, rather,

compassion fatigue stems from continuously providing nursing care to patients while sacrificing

the nurse’s health in the process. This can lead to physical manifestations in the nurse that can

become debilitating when the nurse is providing patient care.

Manifestations of Compassion Fatigue

It is difficult to form a concrete diagnosis of compassion fatigue due to the variance of its

manifestations. Though some nurses experiencing compassion fatigue will have symptoms that

are quite visible, it is easy to attribute these to the normal stress of the profession or to an

occasional bad day. On the other hand, some nurses will be experiencing extreme compassion

fatigue, yet it is only manifested by slight decreases in their level of performance. According to

Professor Lindsay Ann Bouchard, nurses that are suffering from compassion fatigue may

experience “physical exhaustion, difficulty sleeping, feelings of ineffectiveness, purposeful

emotional distancing from patients, and negative effects on their personal lives” (2016, p. 14).
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Though these symptoms may seem minor, they can have a significant effect on the nurse’s

ability to perform essential work-related tasks, which could cause the nurse to make a mistake

that could harm his or her patients.

Other symptoms that are often overlooked include queasiness when driving to work,

headaches, backaches, “[nurses] may be short-tempered, sarcastic, or rude to colleagues and even

to patients of families. They may appear tired and may become more easily startled” (Sheppard,

2016, p. 8). In one nurse’s experience, “I wanted to care for my patients, but I lacked the time

and energy to care for myself” (Brint, 2017, p. 302). A nurse experiencing compassion fatigue

may feel like he or she can never perform all the tasks he or she is required to do each day and

may feel helpless when providing patient care, especially for patients with critical needs or

terminal diagnoses. Unfortunately, these symptoms are often overlooked in the clinical setting as

normal for the job. However, these manifestations are warnings that the nurse is in need of

assistance. If caught early, nurses experiencing compassion fatigue can be guided to resources

that can help them learn how to cope with the stresses of their profession and find joy in giving

nursing care.

Combating compassion fatigue

Though the study and treatment of compassion fatigue is only recently gaining

momentum, there are several resources for nurses experiencing this work-related stress. Though

treatment suggestions may seem simple and trivial, nurses that apply these principles have a

much easier time finding joy and satisfaction in their work. According to Brint, “self-care

remains instrumental in the prevention of compassion fatigue. Mindfulness-based meditation,

journaling, exercise, good nutrition, and other such self-care measures have been recommended”

(2107, p. 301). Nurses that take time to care for their physical, spiritual, mental, and emotional
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health and well-being are better able to assist their patients in meeting those same needs. A very

simple practice that can help combat feelings of compassion fatigue is called mindfulness. This is

the practice of being aware of one’s body and the stressors that affect it. Sheppard explains how

a nurse can practice mindfulness on a daily basis,

To practice mindfulness, take note of the present…You may notice physical or mental

feelings of pain, fatigue, or pleasure. If you feel pain, ask yourself what your body or

mind is trying to tell you—and address those concerns…Mindfulness can reduce stress

and anxiety and improve your physical and mental well-being. Through self-reflection

and mindfulness, you allow yourself to consider events and triggers, learn from them,

forgive yourself, and move forward. (2016, n.p.)

Though mindfulness may seem simple, it allows the brain to sort through all the emotions a

nurse may experience. As the brain comes to better understand the situation then the body will

also become calmer and the physical symptoms of compassion fatigue will also decrease.

Though the study of compassion fatigue is only recently coming to light as a significant

problem in nursing, there are more resources for nurses who are struggling. In addition, “The

American Holistic Nurses Association has addressed the need for self-care, self-responsibility,

spirituality, and reflection to be integrated into nurses’ lives as a standard of practice” (Neville &

Cole, 2013, p. 350). This will lead to more compassion fatigue prevention programs in hospitals

and other caregiving facilities and hopefully create an increased awareness in all nurses. As

nurses continue to become educated on compassion fatigue, they will be better equipped to

combat it and provide more satisfactory nursing care, both beneficial for them and for their

patients.

Conclusion
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The blaring alarms, constant emotional strain of caring for patients, overwhelming

morning medication administration list, and occasionally rude parents of a sick child can be

taxing to a nurse. However, the nurse can prevent compassion fatigue in herself and provide

better patient care as she recognizes warning signs of compassion fatigue and balances her work

life with her emotional, spiritual and temporal needs. These actions will allow the nurse to

provide the best patient-centered care and have more self-confidence as she performs her nursing

tasks.
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References

Bouchard, L. A. (2016). Exploring compassion fatigue in emergency nurses (Master’s thesis,

The University of Arizona). Retrieved from

http://arizona.openrepository.com/arizona/handle/10150/622932

Brint, S. (2017). Obligated to care: A personal narrative of compassion fatigue in an oncology

nurse. Journal of Holistic Nursing, 35(3), 296-309. 10.1177/0898010116661391

Retrieved from https://doi-org.byui.idm.oclc.org/10.1177/0898010116661391

Neville, K., & Cole, D. (2013). The relationships among health promotion behaviors,

compassion fatigue, burnout, and compassion satisfaction in nurses practicing in a

community medical center. JONA: The Journal of Nursing Administration, 43(6), 348-

354. 10.1097/NNA.0b013e3182942c23 Retrieved

from http://ovidsp.ovid.com/ovidweb.cgi?T=JS&NEWS=n&CSC=Y&PAGE=fulltext&D

=ovft&AN=00005110-201306000-00011

Sheppard, K. (2016). Compassion fatigue: Are you at risk? American Nurse Today, 11(1), 53-55.

Retrieved from https://www.americannursetoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/ant1-

Compassion-Fatigue-1222.pdf

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