Most of us are motivated to have compassion for those in need, but sometimes it can feel like the tank is running on empty. In this episode, wellness expert Kim Baumbach, MD gives insight into compassion fatigue and strategies to thwart it.
Compassion fatigue is cumulative emotional and physical exhaustion stemming from exposure to the suffering of others. It is the “cost” of caring for others who are suffering. It leads to a diminished ability to manifest empathy compared to your normal baseline (this is important- it does not mean you are no longer a compassionate or empathetic person!)
Compassion fatigue is distinct from burnout. Burnout comes from factors in the external environment that are not necessarily related to empathy, such as increased administrative burden or lack of autonomy. CF is unique because it includes secondary trauma.
There are many similarities, including depersonalization, a reduced sense of personal accomplishment and meaning, and physical exhaustion.
In a study of PEM docs, burnout score was the most significant determinant of CF.
Guest Bio: Kim Baumbach, MD is an Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine at The Ohio State University and Assistant Director of the Kiehl Resident Wellness Endowment.
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For full show notes of this episode and all sorts of other goodies, visit our podcast website
We discuss:
Why Cultural Context Matters | Patient care and clinician burnout
Kicking The Can Down The Road | How to break up with deciding not to decide
How to Create a Team in 10 Seconds | Why time is not linear and every second not worth the same
Thinking Outside Your Retirement Account | working harder vs creating value
Phantasia Kataleptike | The secret skill of Stoicism
Making the trade | How to know when it's time to change careers
Default Mode Network vs. Task Positive Network | How our brains balance mind wandering and focused attention
Moral Injury | The crossroads of conscience
117. From Chaos to Control | Taming the tempest of task saturation
116. Resistance | How to crack inertia
115. Zero Warning | Scott Weingart on frameworks for no-notice critical patients
114. An Insider’s Guide to Medical Malpractice | Why the US system is so peculiar and how to navigate the morass
113. Understanding Healthy (and Unhealthy) Relationship Dynamics
112. Pizza doesn’t work | An evidence-based intervention that reduced physician burnout and increased job satisfaction
111. Does Private Equity Belong in Medicine?
110. A Strategy Mid-Shift Overwhelm | Conquer the deluge and get home on time
109. Is Your Identity Holding You Back?
108. How To Not Argue With Reality | The paradox of accepting the present moment, even when seems really sh*tty
107. The Power of Lightly Held Beliefs | Bitcoin enemas, cold exposure, and the law of speedy gains
106. The Drama Triangle | Rewriting the script for conflict and broken communication
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