Feeling fractured at your veterinary job?

“It's all my boss's fault.” “I can't talk about this.” “I just wish everyone would leave me alone.”

Have you ever said–or thought-any of these things? You're not alone. Charles Figley, a professor and researcher in the field of psychology and mental health, defines compassion fatigue as vicarious traumatization or secondary traumatization. He developed the concept of compassion fatigue when he began to focus on the unique work environment of trauma workers and mental health professionals and how they appeared to vicariously experience the effects of trauma. In particular, compassion fatigue appeared to be the consequence of working with traumatized individuals, if the professional was exposed to significant numbers of them and had a strong empathic orientation. 

In an article by Jan Thomas, “One estimate is that veterinarians experience death at five times the rate as human care providers”, says Tracy Zaparanick, PhD. “It's experienced so prolifically that people often are ill-equipped to do the job. They walk away daily with unresolved grief.” If you work in an emergency clinic or an animal shelter you will experience death at a higher rate. And there is help. Check out the following tips from the Compassion Fatigue Awareness Project for strategies to manage compassion fatigue.

1. Be kind to yourself.

> Take a break away from your job task. 

>Get up from your station and take a walk outside.

> Grab a glass of water.

> Do some stretches.

> Listen to music.

>Enjoy healthy snack of nuts, fruit or vegetables or a small treat, such as a small square of chocolate-not a one pound brick. 

Remember, if you don't take your breaks, you're working for free. 

2. Make time for yourself away from work. 

> Enjoy a hobby. Don't do work as a hobby. Taking time to photograph wildlife is a hobby away from work. Coming to work on your day off or staying over without pay to photograph animals for a rescue is a very nice thing to do, but it's work as a hobby. 

> Exercise! It's a great way to give yourself time while finding a release for stress. Try boxing, running, biking, walking, hiking, swimming or organized sports. A healthy body is a happy body. 

3. You snooze, you win.

> Get at least seven to nine hours of sleep on a consistent basis. According to WebMD, every person has a different sleep need based on genetics, health, lack of sleep and so on. 

> Practice sleeping until you wake feeling refreshed without needing an alarm clock. 

> Develop a sleep schedule-it's just as important as having a work schedule.

4. Drink water and eat right.

> Drink at least nine to 13 cups of water a day. 

> Opt for healthy meals. Occasional fast food treats are fine, but a consistent diet of fast food will leave you feeling tired. 

5. Enhance your awareness with education.

6. Exchange information and feelings with people who can validate you. 

7. Take positive action to change your environment.

8. Listen to others who are suffering.

> Participate in a peer support group. Consider hiring a licensed clinical social worker or other mental health professional to conduct group therapy sessions. 

9. Accept where you are on your path at all times.

10. Understand that those close to you may not be there when you need them most. 

> Take a quiz or attend a counseling session to determine where you are on the Compassion Fatigue Scale. Once you know where you are, you can begin to bring yourself back to compassion satisfaction. 

11. Clarify your personal boundaries.

> Know your limits. If you know that euthanizing 40 cats will drain you psychologically and emotionally, ask to divide the task with another person. In a shelter setting, try to schedule one species a day for euthanasia instead of trying to do everything all at once.

12. Plan for euthanasia. 

If you routinely perform euthanasias at your practice, consider these ideas to make the euthanasia area comfortable for both you and the animal: 

> Use padded work mats where you stand. 

> Place a towel or blanket on the table. Carpeted bath mats with a rubber backing work well on metal tables. 

> Schedule a team each day to do the bulk of the daily euthanasias and rotate teams. 

> Perform euthanasias away from volunteers and visitors. 

> Keep the area smelling pleasant or at least inoffensive. A kennel odor eliminator splashed into the barrel before animals are placed there helps control waste and death odors. Adding odor eliminator to your cleaning solution will control the smell.

13. Express your needs verbally. 

> Ask for the tools you need. Don't expect your organization to read your mind or instinctively know when something is missing or wrong. 

> Communicate. If you find yourself running out of time during the day for a conversation, drop an email. This serves the dual purpose of communicating your needs and creating a paper trail of your requests and management's responses.

If your practice doesn't have you, animals won't get the care they need. You need to turn compassion fatigue into compassion satisfaction. Learn to recognize the signs and symptoms within yourself and others, so you can continue to do the job you love. 

Allyne Moon, RVT, works at a municipal shelter in the city of Long Beach, California.