When the Label “Burnout” Hinders Our Ability to Help "Helpers"
As the COVID-19 fourth wave strikes, it’s clearly exacerbating issues that clinical workers are experiencing, seemingly in perpetuity.
These issues are not new:
retaining qualified staff
difficult documentation systems
unoptimized processes
continuous changes to the healthcare environment in general
But the continuous overload plus the added stress of managing COVID-19 has definitely intensified them.
Those of us that “help the helpers,” coaches, therapists, wellness workers, and HR consultants, are told that our colleagues are burned out.
But burnout may not be the presenting issue.
For those on the front lines of clinical care, especially now, the presenting issue may actually be compassion fatigue.
Are Burnout and Compassion Fatigue the Same?
Many different and highly general definitions of burnout exist.
Christina Maslach, creator of the Maslach Burnout Inventory defines burnout as:
“A three-dimensional syndrome of emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and reduced personal accomplishment that occurs among individuals who work with people in some helping capacity.”
The ICD11 defines it this way:
“Burn-out is a syndrome conceptualized as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed.”
Whereas compassion fatigue is defined as:
“A condition in which someone becomes numb to the suffering of others, feels less able to display empathy toward them, or loses hope in their ability to help.”
Breaking It Down…
The definitions of burnout both agree that it’s a syndrome rather than a condition.
A syndrome may include a set of conditions working together to create the resulting symptoms.
Another way to think about it is…
Burnout is a set of negative systemic issues that are most acutely felt by physicians, nurses, and other clinical workers. In other words, both the causes and the effects are complex.
Compassion fatigue is a single condition caused by a clinical helper simply doing their job, caring for others with empathy and compassion over time.
While compassion fatigue can be one of the systemic issues that cause burnout, the opposite isn’t true.
And here’s the kicker. The symptoms may be the same.
Colleagues experiencing either burnout or compassion fatigue may feel the following:
loss of job satisfaction
depression
emotional exhaustion
personal or professional detachment
lack of professional accomplishment
loss of hope
How to Best Help the Helpers
Those who “help the helpers” will not be able to fix the systemic issues that cause their burnout. That’s the first and most important thing to be aware of.
Systemic issues demand systemic solutions.
However, you can support your colleagues and clients in understanding their relationship to those issues.
Likewise, you may not be able to solve the issues with their compassion fatigue, nor would you want to hinder their impulses toward caring, empathy, or compassion.
You need them to have those qualities. But you can help them understand how to access care and compassion for themselves.
The “Simple” First Step
During this latest surge of battling the pandemic, physicians, nurses, and other clinical clients or colleagues may just need a safe and respectful place to talk and be heard.
So, just do one thing—listen!
Creating a trust-filled safe space and ensuring confidentiality will help clinical workers feel safe to tell you what they are experiencing.
That may be all they need to help them get back to some equilibrium or to create some much-needed space between them and their feelings.
When you choose to listen meaningfully, you’ll start to understand the actual issues they are experiencing.
Should You Need To Do More...
Those who help the helpers want so deeply to be impactful and supportive.
But when you approach your interactions from that perspective you sometimes lead with solutions. Which can be harmful.
Instead, partner with your client to help them understand what would best help them in that moment.
Then use your listening skills and your curiosity to help them discover their own best solutions.
Sometimes, they may need a suggestion from you to move past their issue. In those cases, present some options for them to explore.
Remember, Help Should Be Helpful
When your colleagues experience burnout or compassion fatigue, they may perceive seeking help as just another thing to do...Which adds to the person’s stress and reduces their capacity to cope.
Unless the person’s symptoms are acute and demand some immediate action, your support may be more helpful if it doesn’t include a list of tasks or action items.
Partnering with them to identify their own best solutions and the empowering steps they can take to realize those are the best ways you can be supportive.
How About You?
Are you a physician, nurse, or clinical worker experiencing burnout or compassion fatigue?
If so, I have two ways I can help.
Check out my Clinician Wellness and Balance Box, a free self-coaching (and awareness) tool you can use at your own pace. Use it to identify your stressors along with ways you can improve your feelings of wellness in those areas.
If you need a deeper dive or want to talk about your balance box, I’m happy to schedule a consultation to support you. As a healthcare coach with additional background in spiritual care, having open conversations with “helpers” is my specialty.