PetLoss Partners
              Loving Memories - Healing Hearts

Veterinary / Animal Care Professionals
For those of us who have made the choice to work in the veterinary/animal care industry, the work is often a passion that comes out of our love and concern for animals and our desire to help them live the best life possible.  The work can be extremely rewarding at times when we watch a sick or injured pet recover or find a good home for a pet in need. Still, like many professionals doing “care work”, because we often not only have to deal with the animals but also their families who may be in emotional pain, we often pay a price.
Understanding Compassion Fatigue

Compassion Fatigue can be defined as the emotional exhaustion caused by the stress of caring for and helping traumatized or suffering people or animals. It often brings with it a significant change in the ability to empathize with patients and their families as well as coworkers or loved ones. Research shows that veterinary/animal care professionals can be traumatized in many of the same ways as other healthcare professionals, and in fact, some studies suggest that veterinary/animal care professionals may be first in their vulnerability to compassion fatigue.

It’s important to note that Compassion Fatigue is not the same as Burnout. While Burnout results from the stressors that arise from the clinician's interaction with the work environment, Compassion Fatigue results from the relationship between the clinician and the client (Kearney et. al., 2009).  The important point  to remember is that while Burnout can be stopped by changing the work environment, Compassion Fatigue is more internal and relates to the work that you do and the way that you do it. While there are many symptoms of Compassion Fatigue, the top 4 symptoms include: Physical Exhaustion, Cynicism, Sarcasm & Irritability, Emotional Exhaustion and Loss of Belief in the meaning of work. Your level of Compassion Fatigue can affect not only your work situation and relationships, but also your relationships with family and friends.

That’s why it is critical not only to identify your level of Compassion Fatigue ( see www.compassionfatigue.org), but also to address the issue head-on before it arises or escalates. What this means is coming up with Self-Care Strategies to use in order to combat the symptoms of Compassion Fatigue.

Self-Care Strategies for the Veterinary/Animal Care Worker

A major factor in combating Compassion Fatigue is developing a Personalized Strategic Plan that provides self care strategies as well as an early warning system that lets you know you are moving into the “Compassion Fatigue Zone”.

This means learning to take care of yourself and making yourself a priority each day. Take time to come up with a list of activities that bring you happiness or come up with new activities or hobbies you would like to try. All these things should be designed with helping you to get out of the “caregiver mode” . In addition, come up with “transition activities” that you could use in helping you leave work at work and not bring it home. Try listening to your favorite radio station on your way home or stop to visit a friend.  Just as important is taking the time to monitor yourself at regular intervals to make sure you are remembering to take the time for yourself.

We have provided a fun flyer that you can download which can help you remember to take the time to care for yourself on a daily basis. Download it here.

In addition, PetLoss Partners offers support groups for those in the Veterinary/Animal Care industry to help in dealing with the stressors you face on a daily basis.  See our “Services Offered” page for more information.