Compassion Fatigue of Health and Social Workers - Essay Example

Health and social workers rely on empathy and compassion to offer much-needed support to their patients or clients. Such a profession entails offering physical, emotional, and spiritual comfort to individuals who undergo trauma, depression, and stress. In most cases, such caregivers deplete their emotional resources leading to burnout. It is such emotional, physical, and spiritual depletion that Eric Gentry, a traumatologist, terms it compassion fatigue (Showalter).

            Professionals in the intensive care units are prone to compassion fatigue. For example, a nurse may have a daily duty to attend to a traumatized patient involved in an accident. The nurse would have to be compassionate and tailor the care given in a manner that suits the patient. In addition, the nurse ought to establish a relationship with the patient as such would fasten the recovery process. If the nurse fails to get emotional advice from her peers, she would soon be a victim of compassion fatigue from excessive exposure to such patients.

            Compassion fatigue is prevalent among inexperienced professionals. Nurses are prone to compassion fatigue due to their caregiving roles in health institutions. However, this should not discourage nursing students from pursuing their careers because the condition is treatable. Nurses may seek professional advice from peers in the case of mild compassion fatigue. If the condition is severe, the nurse can seek medical help to mitigate the likelihood of depression.