Burnout Vs Compassion Fatigue

[lionking101]

Hey all,

I have been noticing this in myself for a few months now and was just looking for some perspective. I have worked at the same big animal hospital/referral center for about 8 years now. I am currently working as an ER tech and have been for about 2 years. I used to be the 110% tech spending all of my time constantly on the go whether its cleaning or loving on a sick pet. I would get super emotional with certain cases and always spend extra time with difficult clients.

The other day we had an abuse/neglect came in that we got animal welfare involved in. Everyone seemed extremely upset by the situation, and I'm not saying I wasn't mad and upset at how this animal was treated, but I was very much "yup, people are dinguses. we see this all the time." I feel like being on ER has possibly resulted in me being a little more callused to certain cases as we often see the abuse and trauma that GP and even most of the specialties don't see. I also work with a vet who is great but is also very pessimistic and blunt.

Lately I've just noticed that I'm a bit more detached from cases and clients, I can quickly turn on/off my sympathy switch as soon as I leave the room, I'm not as emotionally affected as I used to be, and I don't have as much patience as I used to have with clients and coworkers.

I feel great after some time off, and then kind of mehh when I'm back at work.

I'm starting vet school in the fall. I'm wondering if time off from work and focusing just on school would be helpful for getting a different perspective on everything. I know it won't feel like this forever but I was just hoping someone else might have a similar experience.

Thanks

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[Minnerbelle]

I think a lot of it is a coping mechanism that you NEED to survive in that environment. I think it's healthy as long as it doesn't affect how you take care of your patients, clients, yourself and coworkers. I've seen people really affected by compassion fatigue to the point that they start really neglecting/ abusing their patients. Or start saying very inappropriate thing to owners and losing their sensitivity to appropriate parties. That is bad and these people need help. If not for themselves, they need a break for the people and animals they affect.

I can tell you that when I euthanize like 3 patients on a daily basis, I'm not very emotional at all for the most part though I am compassionate to the family present. It's always sad, and it tugs at my heartstring to see whole families in tears, and I might even shed a tear or two... But I walk out of there and within 20 seconds it's like business as usual.

If you feel yourself starting to slip into that meh mode, and you know a vacation helps, take that vacation!

 

[Felixor90]

I volunteered as a vet tech for a high volume euthanasia shelter when I wasn't working and often saw cases where neglect and abuse were very obvious so I know what you're going through.

Hey all,
Lately I've just noticed that I'm a bit more detached from cases and clients, I can quickly turn on/off my sympathy switch as soon as I leave the room, I'm not as emotionally affected as I used to be,

This, in my opinion, is a good thing. It's normal to gain the ability to "turn off" your emotions as a defense mechanism. You can still feel sympathy without letting your emotions run wild. Don't bottle it in though. If you feel the need to let it all out, by all means do so (obviously not in front of a client unless you're close).

I don't have as much patience as I used to have with clients and coworkers.

I feel great after some time off, and then kind of mehh when I'm back at work.

This, on the other hand, smells like burnout to me. Take time to relax when you're not working and try not to think about work when you're off the clock. Take 15-20 mins to talk with a friend or family member about anything that bothered you that day (annoying clients/coworkers, really bad case, etc.) and then let it go and move on.

 

[that redhead]

Like Minnerbelle said, I think at least part of that is a coping mechanism. I consider myself quite detached from things like euthanasias though I am still sympathetic and compassionate about it. It doesn't mean you're a bad person or a heartless monster, it just means you're human and your brain is finding a way to make the sad parts of your job bearable. I think pretty much everyone on these forums has been there in some form or another at some point in their lives.

Take time off. Let yourself get excited about starting classes. Maybe take up a new hobby or something to help you destress some.

 

[lionking101]

Thanks for the response. I don't believe that I am providing a less quality of care to patients or clients, I'm just much more detached. Its a strange feeling for this generally over emotional person. Just wanted to make sure I wasn't going crazy or becoming a monster!

 

[pp9]

Thanks for the response. I don't believe that I am providing a less quality of care to patients or clients, I'm just much more detached. Its a strange feeling for this generally over emotional person. Just wanted to make sure I wasn't going crazy or becoming a monster!

You're not a monster! This past summer somewhere, I actually asked a similar question....why didn't I feel anything over my first euthanasia? A bit of a different situation, but I agree that it is best that you are able to maintain composure in emotionally/physically taxing situations. I, however, am pretty unemotional/monotone. I just always thought I'd feel something.

There was a cat once. A very nasty, nasty cat that was in to be euthanized. Unfortunately, due to it's bad manners, we weren't able to give the cat a 'peaceful' last few minutes. One girl said "That was really sad how we had to manhandle that cat." I found myself thinking/sorta saying "Well, certainly not ideal, but the cat forced our hands." I got kind of a shocked look in return and proceeded to wonder if I lost my soul. I concluded that I am not without compassion for the animal, but that I just put that 'wall' up. Sometimes it's necessary....this isn't a career where you can cry your eyes out over every sad thing that happens. You'll make yourself miserable.

If you find yourself starting to dwindle in your efforts to do good, quality work, then I would consider taking a breather (can you get a week or two of vacation?). We all have those days where we don't care about anything, but it shouldn't actually be that way for you when you're caring for patients. Are you financially able to take a few weeks off before vet school? You deserve some R&R, whether or not you have compassion fatigue!

 

[lionking101]

I'm planning on taking a few weeks off before school starts to move and do a long road trip with my boyfriend before starting our long distance relationship. I work 4 10's so I get a good 3 day weekend every week which I think has been saving me. Keeping mys of healthy has been a big focus for me lately so sticking to that until school starts (and throughout school) is gonna need to be a priority for me. I just don't want to lose my heart. I understand it's natural and necessary for working in this field, just don't want it to go any farther.

and your cat story reminded me of how our hospital manager is pushing for feline friendly with no scuffing and such. Our motto on ER has been "If they aren't human friendly, I'm not feline friendly. Scruff away!"

 

[DVMDream]

and your cat story reminded me of how our hospital manager is pushing for feline friendly with no scuffing and such. Our motto on ER has been "If they aren't human friendly, I'm not feline friendly. Scruff away!"

You should read up on cat behavior and safe handling of cats in the vet clinic. Obviously, there will be some super fractious cats that you can't touch, but scruffing often makes the situation worse. There are better methods, that don't take long to learn, keep the cats calmer (unless you have psycho feline which does happen sometimes) and still keep staff safe. Look into it.

 

[pp9]

You should read up on cat behavior and safe handling of cats in the vet clinic. Obviously, there will be some super fractious cats that you can't touch, but scruffing often makes the situation worse. There are better methods, that don't take long to learn, keep the cats calmer (unless you have psycho feline which does happen sometimes) and still keep staff safe. Look into it.

Omg THIS. The practice I am at forces me to scruff, regardless of how fat and unscruffable the cat is. They have me scruff a cat even when I'm trying to spread it for a cysto (mind you, this forces me to leave its front paws unattended and gives me absolutely no ability to stretch the cat adequately). The cats hate being scruffed, and owners hate seeing it.

To be honest, I personally feel like I have very little control over a cat's head when I scruff. I prefer holding the head from the back and under the jaw (which is pretty close to the mouth, so it depends on the cat), which is where a lot of the strength comes from anyways. Then you can put them between your forearms on the table, and your chest presses on their back. They can't back out or turn their heads if you do it correctly.

 

[pp9]

Plus....scruffing hurts my hands. A lot. It might sound pathetic, but when you're scruffing tight for 10-20 minutes on a grumpy kitty, that pain is intense.

 

[dyachei]

Cystos in cats are much easier in lateral...

 

[Felixor90]

Try scruff massages too. Always worked for me and I was known as the cat whisperer where I used to work. Scruffing doesn't necessarily have to be a bad thing. Most cats melt away and let you do anything to them after/during a scruff massage.

 

[dyachei]

Most cats I scruff don't hate it. But I basically only do it for lateral restraint at this point. Otherwise I use towels and "less is more" type techniques.

 

[pp9]

Cystos in cats are much easier in lateral...

Yeah no kidding. I laid out the cat laterally and thought it was damn near perfect according to my last boss's methods. She had me keep the cat standing. I am always respectful and never doubt the doctor, but 😵 it was far more difficult than it had to be.

You're right that the majority of cats aren't phased by scruffing. I just really hate doing it. They keep saying it's the only way to prevent a bite and I disagree. Plus, some cats physically cannot be scruffed and it gets dangerous. Did I mention it hurts my hands?