Moral distress, compassion fatigue and burn-out in veterinary practice

Abstract

Concerns regarding compassion fatigue and burn-out in veterinary practice are steadily increasing. Burn-out is defined as the state in which a person feels emotionally, physically and mentally exhausted. Work-related stress can have a significant impact on our quality of life and unfortunately lead to burn-out, moral distress and compassion fatigue. As veterinary professionals are exposed to ethical dilemmas and stressful situations daily, it is important that they are aware of the signs of burn-out and how it can be managed.

Managing requests from friends and family to examine their pets when you are off duty

“…The nature of the veterinary profession tends to attract individuals who are empathetic and compassionate. Taken in conjunction with the challenging interplay between client, patient and society, veterinary professionals are at a greater risk of experiencing moral distress, compassion fatigue and burnout (Foote 2020).…”

“…While agreeing to check Tom over may make you feel like you have fulfilled a moral obligation to the cat and to your friend, making exceptions like these on a regular basis can be harmful to your health and productivity. Veterinarians often work long and demanding hours, and while most are happy to go above and beyond for their patients, denying yourself the time to rest and recharge can contribute significantly to compassion fatigue and burnout (Foote 2020).…”

Mass Depopulation of Swine during COVID-19: An Exploration of Swine Veterinarians’ Perspectives

“…As a result, both euthanasia and depopulation can lead to moral distress [ 17 , 18 , 19 ], often caused by the “caring–killing paradox” [ 5 ]; the moral challenge of needing to take the life of an animal, while simultaneously feeling compassion toward animals [ 5 , 17 , 20 ]. Holding these conflicting sentiments can be onerous.…”

Social Workers in Animal Shelters: A Strategy Toward Reducing Occupational Stress Among Animal Shelter Workers

“…ASWs are not the only occupation involving work with animals that are at disproportionate risk of experiencing such negative occupational effects. Similar to ASWs, veterinarians experience compassion fatigue ( 2 , 5 , 6 ), moral stress, moral distress or moral injury ( 7 – 9 ), secondary traumatic stress ( 10 , 11 ), and burnout ( 2 , 7 ), and are at a disproportionately high risk of suicide compared to the general population ( 12 , 13 ). Specifically, veterinarians were found to be two to three times more likely to complete suicide as compared to the national average ( 12 ).…”