Compassion Fatigue

Nurses are vulnerable to compassion fatigue.  Our capacity to care can be severely challenged by patient's behavior. 

For example:

Patients who unplug their IV's and sneak outside to smoke

Obese patients on insulin drips who call patient relations because their nurse won't get them another bag of candy

Patients who leave AMA, go to the bar across the street, stagger back and pass out drunk in front of the hospital

And patients who smoke meth in their hospital bathroom, causing their monitored heart rate to double  

Nurse's break rooms should have a special vending machine for compassion rejuvenation!