According to the April 2022 AANA Journal article on burnout, job satisfaction, and turnover among CRNAs/nurse anesthesiologists during COVID-19, nearly 40% of members reported high levels of occupational burnout during the pandemic. Approximately 80% reported high levels of disengagement along with exhaustion. In addition, Spok, a global leader in healthcare communications, reports that 96% of clinicians have experienced burnout. Another damaging consequence is compassion fatigue, with nearly 40% of nurses reporting difficulty in empathizing with patients in 2021.
Although there are similarities between the symptoms of compassion fatigue and burnout, Compassion fatigue is a state experienced by those helping others in distress and can develop due to exposure to another’s traumatic events. Burnout is a result of prolonged exposure to job stressors or work situations that are emotionally demanding but not trauma related.
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