Medlantis

Compassion fatigue, the profound physical and emotional exhaustion nurses can experience, erodes the very tenets of our caregiving role: compassion, hope and empathy. Awareness and self-diagnosis are key to beginning the journey to recovery. Practical strategies can lead to enhanced self-care and a decrease in the debilitating effects of compassion fatigue. Systemic ways of addressing the issues can also be facilitated, potentially preventing other staff from heading down the dark path of compassion fatigue.

Learning Objectives

After participating in this activity:

• The learner will be able to define the differences between compassion fatigue and burnout.
  
• The learner will be able to use tools to self-diagnose compassion fatigue.
  
• The learner will be able to employ strategies to lessen the effects of compassion fatigue.