Nurses need to be effective with their critical thinking skills and utilize the resources at hand. Using base knowledge to prevent catastrophic events from occurring, such as the potentiation effect of medication. Knowing ,when we as nurses, have met our ability to perform effectively and need assistance is not only important for our well being but the well being of the patient and the organization as a whole. Integrating teamwork in the patient care effort not only builds a solid foundation for the organization but also for the positive outcome of the patient being treated. If for some unfortunate reason an adverse event does occur nurses must remember they “provide valuable insights into care processes when working with patient safety leaders as part of a root cause analysis team. Nurses ' unique knowledge of the care provided is essential for designing the best improvements in care processes” (Hall, Moore, & Barnsteiner, 2008). Probably among the most import ways a nurse can improve quality of care is his/her own self care. This can be done in many ways. Meditation for stress reduction, continuing education for confidence in patient care, are just a few examples. Having a rested, positive, confident attitude when preparing and performing patient care can make difference and help her do no harm and give the utmost quality of care to each patient she/he comes in contact…
Compassion is defined as a sympathetic consciousness of others distress together with a desire to alleviate it (Merriam. Webster.com). It has a fundamental role among the healthcare workers. Especially among nurses, when they are indulging in bedside care for their patients. It helps the patients to relieve their stress and tension. Nurses have to go through different job description during their twelve hours shift. It start from the assessment of the patient, check vital signs, carryout various safety and comfort measures, administering medication and even to participate the resuscitative measures to save the life of a person. During this period due to emotional stress and physical fatigue make a person exhausted and drained. Nurses have to undergo the sane process many days a week for many years. So there is no surprise if any health care worker is emotionally and physically tired and upset. This is called as compassion fatigue. It can be due to the over strain and stress from the work load and demand from the patient and family. Most often it happens due to the continuous work over load, stress, inadequate relaxation time, over demanding. It can leads to the health care workers to be burn out and also leads to secondary traumatization. This assignment explores about the nature and causes of five major concepts of compassion fatigue. It also address the physical, spiritual and emotional needs of the care giver and giving examples of coping strategies and resources to be used by the care giver.…
Helping others puts you in direct contact with other people’s lives. As you probably have experienced, your compassion for those you help has both positive and negative aspects. Compassion fatigue can strike the most caring and dedicated nurses, social workers, physicians and personal support workers alike. These changes can affect both their personal and professional lives with symptoms such as difficulty concentrating, intrusive imagery, and loss of hope, exhaustion and irritability. It can also lead to profound shifts in the way helpers view the world and their loved ones. Additionally, helpers may become dispirited and increasingly cynical at work, they may make clinical errors, violate client boundaries, lose a respectful stance towards their clients and contribute to a toxic work environment. It has been shown that, when we are suffering from compassion fatigue, we work more rather than less. What suffers is our health, our relationship with others, our personal lives and eventually our clients.…
Sometimes it is something that we can predict. Other times the crisis happens upon us suddenly and without warning. In departments such as the Emergency Department (ED), crisis can generally be expected and the ED staff can safely believe that there will be a crisis during their shift. The outcome of the crisis can depend on how it is approached and dealt with. A patient’s rapid deterioration of their state of health or arrest in front of the family is a common crisis situation that occurs where I work. This puts the staff as well as the patient and patient’s family in crisis mode. I feel that my job as the patient’s nurse is to make sure that the situation flows as efficiently as possible. Crisis communication needs to be initiated immediately. My verbal and nonverbal communication can affect the situation. I also need to pick up on the verbal and nonverbal cues of the family. It is also important to collaborate with the team, listen to both staff and families and communicate in a professional manor. Active listening is a prominent quality of a leader, along with how they lead the team. A positive approach is always best while maintaining clear and concise communication. There are times when it is necessary to use assertive communication. This is true when dealing with a difficult person, staff or family member. The nurse needs to be a leader, professional and assertive in order to…
7). There are resources available to us to determine if we might be suffering from Compassion Fatigue. There is a self assessment test nurses can take located at www.compassionfatigue.org. Other resources available are books related to healthy care giving and decreasing personal stress. Nurses can also attend self help meetings geared towards personal joy and taking care of you first. With awareness and knowledge compassion fatigue can be prevented or recognized and managed. Nurses are deeply caring individuals but we can get tired. We must remember to be an advocate for ourselves as well as our patients. This will not only benefit the nurse themselves but ultimately their patients as well, who will receive the best of…
Emerging evidence describes some of the heavy tolls that health professionals experience as they deal with loss of patients, traumatic situations, supporting families and the overall stress that comes with the nursing profession as a whole. Each patient and family has particular needs (physical, psychological, social and spiritual) and are deserving of expert care, and it is this intensity of need that places nurses at risk of professional compassion fatigue (Melvin, 2012). Presented in this writing is the definition of compassion fatigue, related concepts to compassion fatigue, description of a model nurse who has compassion, description of a nurse who has compassion fatigue, nursing implications of compassion fatigue and personal aims after reviewing compassion fatigue.…
Those in the helping field are at a great risk of what has been termed “compassion fatigue.” On a continuum with burnout, compassion fatigue is a step over and both “burnout and compassion fatigue puts both the health care workers and their patients at risk” (Portnoy, 2011, p. 47). What follows is an outline of what compassion fatigue is, along with common signs, symptoms and risk factors. Following that is a self-assessment of personal risk factors and a self-care plan designed to assist in assuring that the risk of compassion fatigue is reduced in my professional career.…
If you ask anyone in the field of healthcare, they will tell you that nursing is a very demanding profession. Many nurses feel weighed down by the emotional and physical demands of their chosen career. They may feel that their efforts go without acknowledgement. They may feel overwhelmed by their workload and feel they do not have adequate support or recourses to confidently and efficiently perform their roles. Part of the nurse’s role is to exhibit compassion for patients and their family members. Yet, compassion is an emotion that requires inner conviction…
Compassion fatigue is occurring frequently all around the world. Compassion fatigue is a physical and mental manifestation of overwhelming exhaustion and emotional withdrawal that can occur in people who care for sick or distressed people over an extended period of time. Compassion fatigue has been shown to affect nurses especially because they feel guilt and shame for becoming emotionally withdrawn. With most nurses nursing is not simply what they do for a job, nursing is who they are. Helping and caring for other people is a driving force for many people to go into nursing. This drive does not just turn off when a nurse clocks out. A nurse's noble drive to be caring and helpful to all puts them at great risk for compassion fatigue. Studies…
A packet that included 3 surveys in which no identification information, was attached to the payroll envelopes of the eligible nurses. These surveys took into consideration demographics, personal/ environmental characteristics, coping strategies, and exposure to traumatic events. The Professional Quality of Life Scale and the Penn Inventory were the instruments to conduct this research. The final results based on a total of 128 participants, 35.9% had scores consistent with burnout, 27.3% reported compassion fatigue, 7% reported secondary traumatic stress, and 78.9% had high compassion satisfaction. Common characteristics correlating with burnout, compassion fatigue, and secondary traumatic stress were negative coworker relationships, use of medicinals, and higher number of hours per shift. High compassion satisfaction correlated with greater strength of supports, higher participation in exercise, use of meditation, and positive coworker relationships. Caring for trauma patients may lead to BO, CF, and STS; identifying predictors of these can inform the development of interventions to mitigate or minimize BO, CF, and STS in trauma nurses. (Hinderer, et.al,…
The assignment is intended to discuss a case I worked on whilst on my final placement and use an analytic stance to discuss the interaction and interventions used with the service user. In order to maintain confidentiality and anonymity of the service users in this case study I will be using pseudonyms for all people involved and mentioned in relation to this case. The assignment will demonstrate professional judgement, accountability of a social worker and the statutory requirements of protection and intervention when working with vulnerable adults. The case study will focus on my work with Sarah throughout my time on placement and assess my principal interventions as well as locating my work within the wider discourses around risk deploying both recovery and exchange models. It will also highlight the strengths and limitations within the process of recovery. Within this case study I will aim to describe and analyse the practice, theories and values that have emerged by carrying out this piece of work. The assignment will critically evaluate my practice with specific reference to the social work skills used. By reflecting on my practice I hope to demonstrate how I have considered issues such as power imbalances and social injustice and how this consideration has assisted me to work in an anti-oppressive, non-judgemental way with the service user involved. With reference to this particular case study I will also demonstrate to the reader the power imbalance that existed between the professionals in terms of their approach. This was clearly evident in relation to the social model approach versus the medical model approach. Drawing on my observation and the experience of working within an inter-professional team I will provide critical appraisal of the issues and barriers that existed. I will also compare, contrast and evaluate the medical and social model of mental health and mental disorder by referring to appropriate literature and…
In conclusion, this article was interesting. I love the fact that the hospital focused on the nurse’s health by reinforcing the importance of developing coping skills to promote physical health. In order to help others you have to help yourself first. It is important to give nurses the opportunity to have resources that can help cope with the stressors that may occur from the death of patients. Overall, I believe that it is important for nurses to learn the importance of work-life balance, self-care strategies, and communication…
Due to the high demands of a nurse’s profession, becoming compassionate fatigue can happen so easily at some point during his or her career. As busy as a nurse can be, it is important that they take time and recognize warning signs that will soon bring them to a level that will compromise their job. To avoid added stress when caring for patients, a nurse must be competent in her job. When a nurse feels a sense of decreased personal satisfaction and accomplishments, it is added weight on her shoulders. When a patient needs immediate care and the nurse is unsure of what to do next, it can become very stressful very quickly. Having a sense of inadequacy can lead to anger that can be shown during patient care and patients are observing. When a patient senses this, it can lead to anxiety, irritability, and restlessness that can lead to a deteriorating condition for the patient and the…
As a healthcare professional within their career they are exposed to various challenges. Upon an adversity faced health professionals need a coping mechanism. This is as they need to be able to overcome the obstacles they will face during their career to effectively carry out their job. The factors that can contribute to resilience are as self awareness, empathy, self esteem and self determination. As a health professional of a nurse they will come across breaking difficult news, death, loss. In dealing with these issues it is essential nurses are able to cope while undertaking their job. The factor of self awareness is important to have as it allows individual to develop and reflect from experience as well as to identify obstacles that may prevent the care they provide for patients. For example a nurse may be taking care of a cancer patient within their ward. However within the nurses personal life her mother died from cancer. This situation may hinder the professionalism of the nurse. Self awareness however can be used so the nurse limits…
Health care workers are known for working long hours, often without breaks or lunches. Many patients are acutely ill and require much needed, focused attention which may be stressful. In addition, several areas of nursing experience high turnover, which causes departments to function with less staff. This increases the already high expectations of the health care worker. The demands of a health care worker are great and, in turn, so are stress levels. When a health care worker suffers from compassion fatigue, that suffering becomes evident in many different ways. The health care worker may not perform their duties as well as expected, which may produce poor patient outcomes. It may be difficult for the caregiver to build strong, trusting relationships with their patients and patient family, as patients may feel that the nurse 's attitude does not convey one of…
