3 main focal areas for discussion:1. Exploring Grief2. Helping Clients3. Recognizing and Addressing Compassion Fatigue (AKA: Vicarious Trauma, Burnout)Within the context of veterinary medicine, primary caregiving focuses on non-human, animal patients. However, another important component of veterinary medical practice is the ability to successfully interact with, and address the needs of the human clients within the medical team setting. The care and delivery of complex services that bring health-care professionals into contact with the suffering of their clients and patients may precipitate the combination of secondary traumatization and burnout thatdefines compassion fatigue. The AVMA recognizes that compassion fatigue develops when medical personnel continually deal with life threatening situations or complex medical decision-making. These negative influences impact not only veterinary medical practice but also business success when they are not addressed within the practice team setting (Nolan, 2011). The respective and important roles of technicians, veterinarians, and office personal cannot be overlooked when clients are facing difficult choices for their animals. In particular, complicated medical cases with multiple diagnoses, long-term treatment and outcomes that lead to loss of the animal can be particularly wearing not only on clients but also the veterinary medical team. When repeatedstress levels lead to emotional exhaustion, job satisfaction and service delivery may suffer. Individual team members' responses to such stressors can be beneficial or harmful to other team members sharing similar experiences. When repeated stressors negatively impact team members' empathetic abilities, their responses to, and concern for others can be diminished to the point that they experience compassion fatigue. Additional stressors include previous un-resolved trauma(s), anxiety, life demands, excessive empathy, lack of control, and no satisfaction/enjoyment in professional and/or personal lives.
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