As an RVT, I have experienced compassion fatigue. High workload, distressed owners/patients, emotionally challenging situations, and lack of autonomy were contributing factors that I have personally experienced. Upon reflection, I can’t imagine I was a lot of fun to work with. I lacked patience, became easily frustrated, and lost my sense of humor. I was emotionally charged and lacked empathy. This was so unlike me . . . who became an educated professional to contribute my very best self for the benefit of the animals I cared for.
Compassion fatigue has been known to cause a myriad of other mental and physical ailments such as burnout, migraine, heart disease, and many others.(1)
Compassion fatigue is experienced by Veterinary professionals at an alarming rate. The emotional cost of caring: the development of compassion fatigue in service, healthcare, or teaching professions has been a known occupational risk for decades.
Compassion fatigue, as quoted by Francois Mathieu (1)
“ …believes, though there is no such thing as prevention, compassion fatigue can be mitigated, transformed, and treated…”
Compassion fatigue is an occupational mental health injury. Workers with compassion fatigue lack empathy and can affect workplace culture and patient outcomes. It is prudent to reduce the impact of compassion fatigue for many reasons. (1)
A dynamic psychological health and safety management system recognizes the insidious manifestation of compassion fatigue. A commitment to a continuous improvement culture will ensure ongoing improvements to previously unmanaged occupational mental health risks.
Detrimental psychological injuries may be mitigated through policy development, ongoing culture assessments, compassion satisfaction/burnout assessments, and effective onboarding techniques for new employees and recent graduates.(1)(2)
Psychological Health and Safety Management System:
According to the CSA, Z1003 (Canadian National Standard) and the Veterinary Visionaries Psychological Health and Safety Guidelines (2024):
Assembling the Pieces, Implementation Guide Z1003 (3)
“A Psychological Health and Safety Management System (PHSMS) helps an organization identify hazards that can contribute to psychological harm to the worker. It is a preventive approach that assesses your workplace’s practices and identifies those areas of concern.”
“A workplace that promotes workers’ psychological wellbeing and actively works to prevent harm to worker psychological health, including in negligent, reckless, or intentional ways”
Veterinary Visionaries: PHS Guidelines
Guideline 4: Moral Injury and Trauma-Informed Practices
“Be mindful of compassion fatigue. Working with coworkers, clients, or patients who have experienced trauma can result in experiencing vicarious trauma or compassion fatigue. Encourage all workers to build and maintain a reliable support system, make time to engage in things that contribute to their well-being, and be mindful of and open about their own professional limits, capabilities, and boundaries.”
It is important to note that ultimately:
- Individual workers hold the main responsibility of caring for their well-being.
- Workplaces have the shared responsibility to leverage workplace policies, procedures, and resources to support the well-being efforts of their workers.”
References
- (1) Stoewen DL. Moving from compassion fatigue to compassion resilience Part 4: Signs and consequences of compassion fatigue. Can Vet J. 2020 Nov;61(11):1207-1209. PMID: 33149360; PMCID: PMC7560777.
- (2) Veterinary Visionaries.org
- (3) CSA Z1003, Assembling the Pieces