From Compassion Fatigue to Resilience: Children's Hospital Colorado

BACKGROUND: Healthcare is a stressful profession. The executives at Children's Hospital Colorado are well aware of the affects that caring for sick children and the pressure associated with it have on our entire staff. Understanding what compassion fatigue looks like as well as the importance of stress management and its role in overall wellness for each of our employees led to the interest and support of HeartMath/Caritas workshops. METHODS: HeartMath/Caritas training transformed into a program to help staff connect with why they got into this profession and provides the tools to help staff members function in the immense stress they are faced with every day. Six-hour workshops are offered to every employee of Children's Hospital Colorado, supported and paid for by the wellness program in the human resource department. These trainings intentionally brought Caritas and HeartMath together with an understanding that the two programs match passion with science, trust with hope, and conviction with confidence. RESULTS: Results illustrate the positive effect the workshops have had on staff. Both qualitative data, in the form of written feedback from participants, and quantitative results (Table) support the continued need for these workshops with more exposure to ensure all employees can attend. CONCLUSION: Healthcare providers work in immense levels of stress. HeartMath/Caritas workshops are one way Children's Hospital Colorado supports its staff in dealing with compassion fatigue and burnout. The passion for sustaining this work comes from understanding how these programs have personally affected those employees who have attended and the compelling mission to pay it forward to all staff at Children's Hospital Colorado.