An experienced nurse working in oncology is shocked to realize that he feels little empathy when a patient explains, "I developed cancer from having to work in the dry cleaning industry since I was only 8 years old to help support my younger siblings during the depression. Now they have all moved away and refuse to help me financially, and it takes everything I have to pay for my chemotherapy medicine." The nurse is experiencing:
A) burnout.
B) compassion fatigue.
C) reality shock.
D) horizontal hostility.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The nurse is experiencing a gradual decline in compassion over time as a result of being exposed to events that have distressed his or her patients, such as working at a young age to support a family while inadvertently being exposed to carcinogens.

An Experienced Nurse Working in Oncology Is Shocked to Realize