In this week’s post for TheONC, I compare the effect of witnessing life and death in nursing to journalism. Both careers bear witness to the suffering of others. Compassion fatigue is documented in journalists similarly as in nurses. I explain I’d rather be a nurse than a journalist, because nursing provides the skills and education I use as tools to give aid. If I could only watch and record the suffering of others, I do not believe I could bear it.
As a young child, I loved connect-the-dots puzzles, discovering the larger picture revealed at completion. Follow the dots in Bearing Witness: Nursing Compared to Journalism, and see if it leads you to a fresh perspective about nursing.
What tips do you have for preventing compassion fatigue and burnout? How do you keep a fresh perspective on job expectations?
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JParadisi (Retired) RN Blog 