Compassion fatigue (CF) is the cumulative physical, emotional and psychological effect of exposure to traumatic scenarios or events when working in a helping profession. Critical care nurses are at high risk for burnout and stress as evidenced by call-in days, use of employee assistance programs, turnover rates. Compassion fatigue has been shown to lead to negative outcomes such as 1) burnout, 2) turnover, 3) substance use or abuse, 4) compulsivity, and 5) dissatisfaction. The purpose of this project was to create a departmental environment of nurturing and caring practices leading to improved role satisfaction for nurses, improved quality of patient care, and enhancement of the department’s overall nursing practice environment.
