Assignment Content
Burnout is something that those working in the human service field must be aware of and look out for both in themselves and coworkers.
Conduct an interview with a caregiver or crisis response worker who works in human services. Use this opportunity to discuss the topic of burnout and compassion fatigue with an individual who is already in the human services field.
Find an individual in a human services field or other helping profession to interview. As you are selecting your candidates, you may want to consider contacts you made during your field experience placement, or reach out to areas where burnout is prevalent, such as chronic disease centers, hospices, caregivers, case managers, or counselors.
Obtain faculty approval of the individual you select before conducting your interview.
Keep the interview length brief, about 30 to 60 minutes, and ask the following questions:
Tell me about a time that you experienced burnout. What kinds of feelings did you experience?
What were the circumstances in your work life at the time that you experienced this burnout period?
What do you feel could have been different about the situation to alleviate the burnout for you?
What do you do to address self-care now, such as getting enough rest and exercise, eating right, meditating, and having goodwork boundaries?
What advice would you give to a novice human services worker to avoid burnout?
What does your organization do to help prevent burnout or compassion fatigue?
What services does your organization offer to employees suffering from burnout or compassion fatigue?
Which do you see as more prevalent in your organization: burnout or compassion fatigue?
What advice would you give a peer who came to you and thought they were suffering from compassion fatigue?
Write a 700- to 1,050-word paper discussing the interview. Complete the following in your paper:
Provide a summary of the interview. (Do not include a question/answer of the entire interview.)
Explain how burnout is different from compassion fatigue.
Identify signs that are key indicators of burnout.
Explain the levels or stages of burnout that the interviewee experienced.
Describe prevention strategies that the interviewee finds helpful in the field.