Difficulty: Medium
Average Score: 92%
Simulated
A hospice nurse tells another nurse that they are feeling overwhelmed after caring for multiple clients who are dying and reports having difficulty feeling sympathy for their clients. The nurse has manifestations of which of the following conditions?
Correct answer
A
Rationale
The correct answer is A: Compassion fatigue. Compassion fatigue refers to a state of emotional, mental, and physical exhaustion caused by prolonged exposure to helping and caring for others, particularly in traumatic situations. In this case, the nurse is experiencing emotional exhaustion and difficulty feeling sympathy due to caring for dying clients, which aligns with symptoms of compassion fatigue. This is different from adventitious stress, which is not specific to caring for others. Prolonged grief disorder pertains to difficulties in coping with grief, not necessarily related to caring for others. PTSD involves experiencing or witnessing a traumatic event, which is not explicitly mentioned in the scenario.