Dana Novara, DVM, Banfield Pet Hospital, Vancouver, WA, USA
Living with compassion fatigue
Author(s):
Dana Novara and Kimberly-Ann...
Updated:
MAY 01, 2020
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"Healthy pets need healthy veterinarians, but a caring profession can take a huge toll on the carers; in this paper the authors share their own experiences of compassion fatigue and give some pointers for looking after yourself."
Meet the authors
Dana Novara
After graduating from the University of Minnesota in 2008 Dr. Novara spent time in small animal practice before moving into veterinary leadership roles within Banfield, where she is currently Vice President for Veterinary Quality in the Southwest region. She is an active member of AVMA and CVMA as well as a member of the public speaking pool for the Women Veterinary Leadership Development Initiative (WVLDI).
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Kimberly-Ann Therrien
A graduate of the University of Montreal, Dr. Therrien joined Banfield Pet Hospital in 2006 as an associate veterinarian and worked in various positions within the company; she is currently Vice President for Veterinary Quality in the Midwest region. She is an active member of AVMA, KVMA, and FVMA, as well as serving as a board member of the Banfield Foundation, and is currently President of the Women Veterinary Leadership Development Initiative (WVLDI).
Kimberly-Ann Therrien, DVM, Banfield Pet Hospital, Vancouver, WA, USA
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Key Points
- Compassion is our business, therefore we do not “cure” compassion fatigue, we learn to manage it.
- You are not alone: studies from the USA suggest 1 in 3 veterinarians have anxiety, and 1 in 6 has considered suicide.
- Create a sustainable plan for yourself that includes taking care of your body, mind, career, community, and finances.
- Use “in-the-moment” tools to help cope when you start to feel overwhelmed.
Introduction
As veterinarians, we do not always realize that – because of the complexity of our work – we are at high risk for compassion fatigue1. The constant rollercoaster of emotions that comes from euthanizing a long-time patient, then celebrating with a family and their new puppy, followed by treating an animal cruelty case or complex medical issue, creates extremely emotional highs and lows from hour to hour throughout the day (Figure 1). One study has found that 57% of veterinarians face one or two ethical dilemmas each week during their work ( 1 ), and another study estimated that 40% of veterinarians are either suffering from, or are bordering on, depression ( 2 ). Because of this, there continues to be research into the causes of burnout, compassion fatigue, and the higher-than- average rates of mental health concerns in veterinary medicine ( 1 ). [...]
About
Affiliation of the authors at the time of publication
Banfield Pet Hospital, Vancouver, WA, USA
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