High Civic-Mindedness Reduces Compassion Fatigue in the First 3 Years of Professional Physical Therapist Practice: A Pilot Study

INTRODUCTION: Clinicians with compassion fatigue (CF) experience behavioral, cognitive, and emotional changes due to repeated exposure to second-hand trauma from the clients with whom they are working. A civic-minded professional possesses the core value of social responsibility. Physical therapy (PT) education programs must balance a focus on developing social responsibility and compassion against the risk of CF. OBJECTIVE: The objectives of this study were to (1) describe the prevalence of CF in a sample of physical therapists in the early years of practice and (2) to determine whether higher civic-mindedness leads to the development of CF in physical therapists. METHOD: Three cohorts of recent graduates were administered the Professional Quality of Life (Pro-QOL) survey to measure CF. Thirty-five of 127 surveys sent (27.6% response rate) were completed. RESULTS: A Mann-Whitney U was run to determine differences in the Pro-QOL survey between those scoring high or low in civic-mindedness at graduation. Higher civic-mindedness scores exhibited significantly lower burnout and higher compassion satisfaction. CONCLUSION: Higher levels of civic-mindedness appear to have a protective effect against developing CF.