Title compassion fatigueAccording to Taylor (2008) the definition of nurse derives from the meaning of the Latin word nutrix, which means "to nourish". The goal of nursing is to care for each patient physically, emotionally, socially, and spiritually. To meet the needs of each patient, nurses must take on many roles, but the main role is that of assistant (Taylor, 2008, p.14). Caring for another person requires many characteristics, and the most common is compassion. The definition of compassion is “sympathetic awareness of another's distress with a desire to alleviate it” (Merriam-Webster dictionary, 2011). Compassion and a desire to nurture may have been decisive factors in pursuing a nursing career. Nurses throughout their careers will be extensively exposed to trauma, pain and unfortunate situations. Workplace stressors, such as scheduling and increased workload, along with repeated exposure to the difficulties of others, predispose healthcare workers, particularly nurses, to develop a unique type of burnout called compassion fatigue (Joinson 1992). Compassion fatigue develops when a nurse unwittingly takes on the misfortune, anxiety, pain and trauma of the patients they care for. It is a negative emotional and physical response to unfortunate situations that may occur in the caring profession. The “harmful effects may include burnout, inability to concentrate, and decreased productivity, as well as unhappiness, insecurity, and loss of passion and enthusiasm” (Lester, 2010, p. 11). Compassion fatigue will develop suddenly versus burnout which develops gradually (Boyle, 2011, p. 9). This sudden onset of symptoms will hinder the nurse's ability to develop a trusting and therapeutic relationship with... middle of paper ......born in their work and to truly care for their patients, but to do this they must set professional and personal boundaries and be aware of the pain effect; trauma and death can have on their life. According to Bush (2009), nurses must learn to forgive and love themselves to prevent and overcome compassion fatigue. “Nurses should treat themselves with the empathy and compassion they treat others” (Bush, 2009, p. 27). Nurses should take time to nourish themselves while maintaining a healthy lifestyle and diet. They should also continue to participate in activities they enjoy, get plenty of rest, and have a sense of self-awareness throughout their career. Additional resources are available for all healthcare professionals to educate themselves about compassion fatigue on the Compassion Fatigue Awareness Project website at http://www.compassionfatigue.org/index.html.