Preferred Name
Amelia Uffelman Walton
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
ORCID
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8930-8498
Date of Graduation
Spring 2018
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Educational Specialist (EdS)
Department
Department of Graduate Psychology
Advisor(s)
Eric W. Cowan
Lennis G. Echterling
A. Renee Staton
Abstract
Emergency Departments (EDs) are notoriously unpredictable and high stress environments. ED nurses are regularly exposed to stressful events such as sudden death, trauma, death and resuscitation of children, aggression and violence from patients, and systemic environmental stressors. For some ED nurses, prolonged exposure to these stressors leads to the development of compassion fatigue and burnout, but stigma around seeking support for mental health issues can impede a nurse’s desire to seek treatment. The counseling profession has seen an increased interest in the role that resilience-building strategies can have in negating the deleterious effects of compassion fatigue and burnout in nurses. Licensed professional counselors (LPCs) might be uniquely positioned to provide counseling support to ED nurses, and develop and implement resilience-based programming in the ED that is rooted in peer support, development of positive emotions, and mindfulness.
Recommended Citation
Walton, Amelia, "The cost of caring: Emergency department nurses, compassion fatigue, and the need for resilience training" (2018). Educational Specialist, 2009-2019. 125.
https://commons.lib.jmu.edu/edspec201019/125
