WEB-035A: Compassion fatigue is the "cost of caring" for other lives in emotional, mental, and physical pain. Compassion fatigue is characterized by deep physical and emotional exhaustion and a pronounced change in the ability to feel empathy. It is marked by increased cynicism at work, a loss of enjoyment of our career, and eventually can transform into depression, secondary traumatic stress and stress related illnesses. The most insidious aspect of compassion fatigue is that it attacks the very core of what brought one into their chosen profession: empathy, care and compassion for all creatures and beings. This webinar will introduce the topic of compassion fatigue as it applies to people who work directly with research animals (animal caregivers, veterinarians and veterinary technicians, and research faculty and staff) and indirectly (members of the IACUC and administrative support staff, animal purchasing and facilities services). The speaker will reflect through 1.5-2 years of data collection in relation to both the causes and impacts of compassion fatigue at the University of Washington. Participants will be provided with tools and strategies to identify, ameliorate, reduce and avoid compassion fatigue as well as strategies for developing and implementing a sustainable institutional program to manage compassion fatigue. While compassion fatigue is a normal consequence of caring, we can learn ways to improve the support system within the laboratory animal workplace and become more resilient and avoid becoming overwhelmed, shutdown and/or leave the work/profession altogether. Such support will help to maintain a healthy and productive climate in lab animal science for both humans and animals.
The learning objectives are:
- Introduce the topic of compassion fatigue as it applies to both people who work directly with animals and members of the IACUC and their support staff;
- Provide individual strategies on how to manage human emotions for laboratory animal professionals; and
- Share ideas for developing a sustainable compassion fatigue program that meets your institutional needs.
To view the recording: Once you purchase the product, a link is added to your profile page on the AALAS website. You will see a menu on the left side of the page. Select "Digital Content Access." There are three files available to download: the instructions to access the recording, the handout, and a CEU certificate to keep as a record of viewing the recording to earn AALAS CEUs.
Sharing the recording access: Access is guaranteed for a minimum of 90 days but may be extended as long as 1 year from the date of the live event. You may distribute the recording link via email to your staff. Posting this link or any of the webinar's content on a web page or distribution of these materials by other means to the public is not permitted.
AALAS CEUs: You can apply for up to 1.5 CEUs for the Technician Certification Registry or CMAR recertification. Please use the forms on the AALAS website or online CEU submission.
