Lloyd Ciaran, Campion Deirdre P
UCD School of Veterinary Medicine, University College Dublin, Belfield, D04 W6F6, Dublin, Ireland.
Ir Vet J. 2017 Sep 25;70:30. doi: 10.1186/s13620-017-0108-7. eCollection 2017.
Burnout and compassion fatigue are frequently mentioned in relation to veterinary work. Veterinary nursing is a caring profession and those who seek a career within this field do so because of a natural empathetic desire to care for animals. However it is the individuals who are the most caring and empathetic towards others that will be most at risk of experiencing occupational stress when they are confronted with psychologically demanding workplace roles and working environments.
Burnout is considered an 'unintentional end point' for certain individuals who are exposed to chronic stress within their working environment. When suffering burnout, a person may experience emotional exhaustion, may become more cynical or they may have a reduced sense of personal accomplishment in regards to their own work. Signs of burnout can include increased levels of absenteeism at work, or the working standards of that staff member may decline below that of what would normally be expected of them. This could directly impact on patient care in the veterinary practice. Working in a role that places emotional demands on staff, such as a need to show compassion and empathy towards clients who are emotionally distressed, puts staff at risk from experiencing compassion fatigue. Workplace supports may include appropriate debriefing sessions among willing participants, particularly after an emotionally stressful encounter with a client. Taking personal responsibility for care of one's own mental and physical health is just as important as taking care of the patient's health. Personal strategies may include lifestyle changes, adopting a healthier lifestyle, reduction of working hours, and ensuring adequate sleep. Adopting healthy self-care strategies can promote characteristics of "resilience" - personal qualities or traits such as optimism, self-confidence, level headedness, hardiness, and having the ability to be resourceful during times of adversity.
All veterinary staff may be better prepared to deal with occupational stress related conditions if they gain better insight and ability to recognise the condition in self and others, and if provided with the toolkits to develop coping strategies and resilience.
职业倦怠和同情疲劳在兽医工作中经常被提及。兽医护理是一个关怀性的职业，那些在这个领域寻求职业的人是出于关爱动物的自然同理心。然而，正是那些对他人最有爱心和同理心的人，在面对心理要求高的工作角色和工作环境时，最有可能经历职业压力。
职业倦怠被认为是某些在工作环境中面临慢性压力的人的“无意终点”。当遭受职业倦怠时，一个人可能会经历情感耗竭，可能会变得更加愤世嫉俗，或者他们在自己的工作方面可能会有个人成就感降低的感觉。职业倦怠的迹象可能包括工作缺勤率增加，或者该工作人员的工作标准可能会下降到低于正常预期的水平。这可能会直接影响兽医诊所的患者护理。从事对员工有情感要求的工作，例如需要对情绪困扰的客户表现出同情和同理心，会使员工面临同情疲劳的风险。工作场所的支持可能包括在愿意参与的人员之间进行适当的汇报会议，特别是在与客户进行情感压力大的接触之后。对自己的身心健康负责与照顾患者的健康同样重要。个人策略可能包括生活方式的改变，采用更健康的生活方式，减少工作时间，并确保充足的睡眠。采用健康的自我护理策略可以促进“复原力”的特征——个人品质或特质，如乐观、自信、冷静、坚韧，以及在逆境中能够足智多谋。
如果所有兽医工作人员能够更好地洞察并识别自己和他人的职业压力相关状况，并且获得制定应对策略和复原力的工具包，他们可能会更好地准备应对职业压力相关状况。
