Burnout is “a state of emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion caused by excessive & prolonged stress. It occurs when you feel overwhelmed, emotionally drained, & unable to meet constant demands”[1]. Compassion Fatigue is “the deep physical, emotional, and spiritual exhaustion that can result from working day to day in an intense caregiving environment”[2].
In a nutshell, burnout happens over time due to stress coupled with inadequate support and resources. While compassion fatigue is triggered by a particularly traumatic case, or the cumulative effects of multiple traumatic situations. Burnout and compassion fatigue can occur separately or co-exist. Symptoms of burnout include physical, mental, and emotional exhaustion, becoming more cynical, irritable, or critical at work and gaining little satisfaction from achievements.
Veterinary medicine is full of uncertainty and is, by nature, unpredictable. This means that working in any veterinary clinic can sometimes be stressful. But there are things that you can do to help manage and reduce the personal impact of workplace stress and increase your resilience. Resilience is “The capacity to remain flexible in our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors when faced by a life disruption, or extended periods of pressure, so that we emerge from difficulty stronger, wiser, and more able”[3]. Click on each element to learn how you can support your wellbeing.
- Maintain a healthy work-life balance. Everybody works better when they are well rested. Sometimes the day doesn’t go to plan, and we’ve all stayed late or worked into lunch breaks at one time or another. But this should be the exception, not the rule.
- Practice self-care. Self-care is anything that protects, maintains, or improves your wellbeing and it is anything but selfish: you can’t pour from an empty cup. Self-care can be:
- Physical, such as getting enough sleep or doing some exercise.
- Mental, such as reading a book or doing something creative.
- Emotional, such as connecting with friends either in person or virtually.
- Be kind. Do your best to show compassion to yourself as well as to others. Human beings are imperfect and usually trying their best, despite difficult circumstances.
- Seek support
- Speak to your line manager about your concerns if you feel able to.
- Sometimes it can be easier to talk things through with somebody who isn’t your manager. This could be a trusted friend, family member or a coworker.
- Mentoring can be an invaluable source of support and it can be helpful to discuss things with somebody who has been in similar situations. Mentoring can be a structured, formal process, or it can be informal. Peer support and/or buddy systems can be an invaluable source of co-worker support and are easy to set up in any veterinary clinic.
- You may have an employee assistance program at your place of work, and they often offer wellbeing and mental health support in addition to their other benefits. It’s worth seeing what sources of support are available, should you need them in the future.
- A mental crisis is when someone is emotionally charged to the point that there is a risk of them harming themselves or others.[4] If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available.
- Call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org. Text MHA to 741741 to connect with a trained Crisis Counselor from crisistextline.org.
- Call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room.
Task
Take a few minutes to come up with some ideas for your own self-care. What could you do if you had one minute? Five minutes? An hour?
[1] Accessed 12th November 2023
[2] Figley, C. R., & Roop, R. G. (2006). Compassion fatigue in the animal-care community. Humane Society Press.
[3] Resilience – A practical guide for coaches by Carole Pemberton.
