Presented at Laboratory Animal Science 2018:
labroots.com/virtual-event/lab-animal-science-2018
Marian Esvelt, DVM - Veterinary Resident, University of Michigan
Compassion Fatigue: Education and Engagement in Animal Research
Compassion Fatigue can affect all those that care for and work with laboratory animals, including husbandry staff, veterinary staff, researchers, and other support staff. It is known as the “cost of caring,” and is caused by the connection that we experience with those we are taking care of, and the absorption their pain and suffering. It depletes our emotional resources to constantly care for and about animals, and the effect is heightened with those that form strong bonds with the research animals. The effects of this condition manifest as mental, behavioral, and physical changes, such as apathy, irritability, heightened emotions, isolation, addictive behaviors, and worsened chronic health issues. This is a relatively new topic in the field of laboratory animal science, and information regarding it is not often taught in a basic training course. At the University of Michigan, we have recently started to increase awareness and provide resources and support for our staff to combat compassion fatigue. This includes building a relationship between our Employee Assistance Program counseling group and the Unit for Laboratory Animal Medicine (ULAM), adding language to our required animal user training, creating a Peer Support Group, providing animal memorial boards at our now annual Science of Enrichment Symposium, and creating a committee to plan an animal memorial event. We have received positive feedback regarding these additions, and continue to work to make changes to our program to foster a culture of openness regarding compassion fatigue, and to improve morale by improving work satisfaction. It is our belief that caring for the mental well-being of those that work with research animals helps maintain employees in our field that deeply care about animals, increases job satisfaction, and encourages new ideas to promote increased animal welfare.
Earn PACE Credits:
1. Make sure you're a registered member of LabRoots ( labroots.com/virtual-event/lab-animal-science-2018)
2. Watch the webinar on YouTube above or on the LabRoots Website ( labroots.com/virtual-event/lab-animal-science-2018)
3. Click Here to get your PACE (2/8/2020)- labroots.com/credit/pace-credits/2713/third-party
LabRoots on Social:
Facebook: facebook.com/LabRootsInc
Twitter: twitter.com/LabRoots
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/labroots
Instagram: instagram.com/labrootsinc
Pinterest: pinterest.com/labroots/
SnapChat: labroots_inc
- Compassion Fatigue: Education and Engagement in Animal Research from Laboratory Animal Science 2018 ( Download)
- Compassion Fatigue: Education and Engagement in Animal Research ( Download)
- Engaging Through Enrichment: How the Animal Enrichment Committee Works to Combat Compassion Fatigue ( Download)
- CARE 2018 | C. Bertolaso: The cost of caring: compassion fatigue within animal protection… ( Download)
- An Evidence-Based Look at Compassion Fatigue: Diagnosing the Doctor Pt 1 - conference recording ( Download)
- Animal Research Training Videos Increase Productivity & Safety in UCLA Lab ( Download)
- Continuing Education Series - Compassion Fatigue ( Download)
- An Evidence-Based Look at Compassion Fatigue Diagnosing the Doctor Pt 2 - conference recording ( Download)
- Common Misconceptions of Compassion Fatigue ( Download)
- Veterinarian - Laboratory Animal Science ( Download)
- Navigating Compassion Fatigue in Animal Welfare: How to Combat Burnout and Enhance Resiliency ( Download)
- Program to support emotional engagement, resiliency & compassion in research animal caregivers. ( Download)
- Burnout vs Compassion Fatigue: How You Approach Your Job ( Download)
- The Digitalization of the Vivarium: Past and Present Initiatives that Optimize Animal Care & Welfare ( Download)
- Bruce Kennedy - Measuring Teaching Metrics applied to training in lab animal sciences ( Download)
