An experienced nurse working in oncology is shocked to realize that he feels little empathy when a patient explains,
"I developed cancer from having to work in the dry cleaning industry since I was only 8 years old to help support my younger siblings during the depression. Now they have all moved away and refuse to help me financially, and it takes everything I have to pay for my chemotherapy medicine." The nurse is experiencing:
a. burnout.
b. compassion fatigue.
c. reality shock.
d. horizontal hostility.
ANS: B
Correct: The nurse is experiencing a gradual decline in compassion over time as a result of being exposed to events that have distressed his or her patients, such as working at a young age to support a family while inadvertently being exposed to carcinogens.
Incorrect:
a. Burnout refers to feelings of being overwhelmed and distressed, resulting in poor work quality and symptoms such as insomnia and lack of professional pride.
c. Reality shock occurs when a novice nurse enters the workforce after graduating from school and is not prepared to deal with differences between school and workplace values.
d. Horizontal hostility is to control, diminish, or devalue another peer or person, in this situation the nurse is not displaying nor is not the target of bullying or person insults rather is demonstrating compassion fatigue that is the result of working with complex or patient trauma over time resulting in a decline in empathy.
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