Compassion Fatigue in Veterinary Medicine

Caregivers are a unique breed, so to speak. From human doctors, nurses, and home health care providers, to veterinarians and veterinary technicians and staff, these talented individuals put their hearts and minds into helping their patients every day.

Caregiving professions typically attract people with empathy and compassion. The nature and demands of caregiving work, coupled with these traits, means that sometimes these caregivers may sacrifice their own needs for their patients. Burnout and compassion fatigue can result.

Our profession has seen an epidemic of compassion fatigue in the last few years, which has tragically led to an increase in depression and suicide. At Oakland Veterinary Referral Services, we wanted to explore this alarming trend and shed some light on what we can do to recognize and prevent compassion fatigue.

What Is Compassion Fatigue?

Charles Figley, PhD is often quoted as the inventor of the term compassion fatigue. His description is, “…a state experienced by those helping people or animals in distress; it is a state of extreme tension and preoccupation with the suffering of those being helped to the degree that it can create a secondary traumatic stress for the helper.”

In veterinary medicine, compassion fatigue results from the close relationship we share with our patients and clients. These close relationships affect our team profusely when, for example, we see cancer patients, who we know and love, decline and finally succumb to their disease. Emergency work can be extremely taxing on our emotions, when accidents happen or when disease and illness can’t be treated. And, veterinarians regularly see clients struggle with balancing their financial needs with the needs of their pets.

Signs of Compassion Fatigue

The first step in preventing compassion fatigue is learning to recognize it. Not every negative thing that happens in veterinary medicine results in compassion fatigue. However, individuals who are suddenly experiencing any of these signs may want to consider whether or not compassion fatigue may be the cause:

• Difficulty concentrating
• Not feeling joy in activities that used to be pleasurable
• Isolation
• Sadness and apathy
• Chronic physical ailments
• Voicing excessive complaints about your job, manager, and/or coworkers
• Nightmares
• Lack of self-care, including hygiene
• Substance abuse

Preventing Compassion Fatigue

Unfortunately, the long hours and physical demands on veterinary caregivers often result in a lack of self-care. Loss of sleep, long hours, and not making time for things that bring us joy are sadly common in caregiving professions. But, self-care activities are crucial to being able to manage feelings of helplessness, defeat, and anger. We all need balance in our lives, and a balance between work and home is important.

Luckily, this syndrome has been well studied and much has been written about the causes, signs, and prevention of compassion fatigue.

The ABC’s of prevention are a great place to start:

A – Awareness is critical in preventing compassion fatigue. It’s important to recognize what situations and experiences are particularly stressful for us. When we recognize our triggers, we can be more prepared to deal with the situation.

B – Balance in veterinary medicine is often difficult to achieve, as long caregiving hours are needed by the patients. But, taking time off, practicing great self-care, and spending time on the activities that bring joy makes us better caregivers and teammates, which benefits the patients and the practice as a whole.

C – Connection with others can help to alleviate compassion fatigue. Keeping connected with our friends, family, and support system helps us to process through others, instead of turning inward.

Preventing compassion fatigue in our veterinarians and team members is an important step in providing exceptional care for our patients and clients. Working together, we can find balance at work, even in difficult times. When we do, we become better caregivers and make our practice stronger, too.

For more information, please call us.