Compassion Fatigue Essay -- Health, Nursing

deed of conveyance commiseration fatigueAccording to Taylor (2008) the definition of maintain is from the meaning of the Latin word nutrix, which means to foster. Nursing has a concenter of condole with for every patient physically, turned on(p)ly, socially and spiritually. To meet the needs of every patient, nurses mustiness take on many roles, but the main role cosmos care giver (Taylor, 2008, p.14). Caring for another person requires many traits, and the to the highest degree common is blessing. The definition of compassion is sympathetic consciousness of anothers distress with a desire to alleviate it (Merriam-Webster dictionary, 2011). Compassion and the desire to nourish may clear been deciding factors that would lead one to pursue a career in nursing. Nurses over the span of their career will have extensive exposure to trauma, put out and unfortunate situations. Workplace stressors such as scheduling and increasing workload along with repeated exposure to the h ardships of others predisposes caregivers, specially nurses, to puzzle a unique type of burn out designate compassion fatigue (Joinson 1992). Compassion fatigue develops when a nurse unexpectedly takes on the misfortune, anxiety, pain and trauma of the patients they care for. It is a negative emotional and physical response to the unfortunate situations that can arise in the craft of care giving. The detrimental effects can include exhaustion, an inability to focus and a decrease in productivity, as well as unhappiness, diffidence and loss of passion and enthusiasm (Lester, 2010, p. 11). Compassion fatigue will develop suddenly versus burnout which develops gradually (Boyle, 2011, p. 9). This abrupt onset of symptoms will hinder the nurses ability develop a trusting and therapeutic descent with... ...nate in their work and genuinely care for their patients, but to do this they must set professional and personal boundaries and be aware of the effect pain trauma and death may have on their lives. According to scouring (2009), nurses must learn forgiveness and love themselves to prevent and overcome compassion fatigue. Nurses should treat themselves with the empathy and compassion that they give others (Bush, 2009, p. 27). Nurses should take time to nurture themselves by maintaining a healthy lifestyle and diet. They should also continue to participate in activities that they enjoy, get plenty of rest, and have a sense of self-awareness throughout their career. excess resources are available to any caregiver to educate themselves on compassion fatigue at The Compassion Fatigue Awareness Projects web site at http//www.compassionfatigue.org/index.html.