Compassion Fatigue and Burnout in Nursing: Enhancing Professional Quality of Life

"[T]his is an exceptional book and worth the investment for both the novice nurse who wants to proactively recognize compassion fatigue and for the experienced nurse who is struggling with professional quality of life."–Journal for Nurses in Professional Development

"An excellent resource for all levels of nurses…Highly recommended."–Choice: Current Reviews for Academic Libraries

"The book is a powerful expression of the needs of all nurses, whatever their practice setting, with an easily applied method of reaching out to our co-workers and other healthcare professionals to improve our own lives, and, ultimately, the welfare of our patients."–ANA-Maine Journal, The Newsletter of the American Nurses Association–Maine

"This book provides insight and solutions to [compassion fatigue and burnout] and can save numerous nurses from leaving a loved and valued profession."–Advance For Nurses

"Todaro-Franceschi has done a great service not only for nurses, but for all professional health care providers who will find this book helpful in sustaining compassion satisfaction while avoiding fatigue and, hopefully, preventing burnout."–The Forum

"This book is a good resource for nurses interested in helping themselves or others maintain a connection with the purpose of their work."–Critical Care Nurse

Compassion fatigue afflicts nurses working in all caring environments and has become a serious issue in health care institutions nationwide. This is the only book to specifically address this challenge and the related syndrome of burnout in nursing. It presents a unique healing model designed to identify, treat and, where possible, avert compassion fatigue with holistic strategies and action plans that help cultivate a healthier, more satisfying work environment.
The volume addresses risk factors for and manifestations of compassion fatigue, burnout, and other related experiences such as PTS, death overload, collective trauma, and moral distress, and presents strategies to mediate and resolve these issues. The author emphasizes ways in which dissatisfaction influences the quality of patient care and calls for nurses to reinvent their work environments to favor compassion contentment. Case vignettes and exercises will help readers identify and alter patterns of negativity to reaffirm purpose in their professional lives.
Key Features:

Describes the positive and negative contributors to professional quality of life
Explores the multifaceted nature of compassion fatigue and burnout, in nursing
Addresses the unique risk factors for nurses who work in critical care/ER, oncology, medical/surgical, and palliative care areas
Offers holistic self and group strategies and action plans to help leadership and staff nurses overcome compassion fatigue and promote work satisfaction
Addresses gaps in education which contribute to the development of compassion fatigue and burnout
Designed for nurses in stressful health care environments, and nurse educators and students