Compassion Fatigue Among Travel Nurses

Abstract

Purpose: To describe an educational workshop delivered to travel nurses, with analysis of the shared discussion. Background: Travel nurses work beyond the realm of traditional nursing positions as they typically are contracted for short periods of time, fill positions created by nursing shortages, and are willing to work in various capacities. As currently conceptualized, compassion fatigue is comprised of compassion satisfaction, burnout, and secondary traumatic stress. Travel nurses are at risk for compassion fatigue as they often work on high acuity units such as emergency room and ICU. Additionally, travel nurses lack natural support systems as they often work far from usual supports such as family, which may increase the risk of compassion fatigue. Method: A two-part educational workshop was developed to reduce the risk of compassion fatigue among travel nurses (N=3). Workshops included education and skills training. Participants discussed their experiences, symptoms, and strategies they used to cope with the negative constructs of compassion fatigue. They journaled and make notations of personal and professional experiences including symptoms, triggers, and self-reflection of compassion fatigue and skills learned. Findings: Commonalities included symptoms of fatigue, isolation, disassociation, second-hand grief, physical pain, dysfunctional communication, and questioning role as a nurse. Triggers to compassion fatigue included limited resources, patient complexity, length of shift, patient influences such as gratitude for nursing service, and witnessing loss. Outcomes included self-medicating with alcohol, self-isolating, working extra shifts, and not debriefing with clinical professionals. Implications: Travel nurses experience symptoms of compassion fatigue including burnout and secondary traumatic stress that is consistent with other nursing professionals. The participants did not understand the phenomenon and had no knowledge of how to protect against compassion fatigue. Travel nurses would benefit from incorporating skills and strategies to address the phenomenon of compassion fatigue, burnout and secondary traumatic stress. The data from this educational intervention project magnify the knowledge currently known about the impact and experience of compassion fatigue in nursing populations, specifically travel nurse populations. It provides insight into the possible benefit of focus group discussions and self-care strategies in lessening the impact of compassion fatigue in travel nurse populations.