New workers in healthcare roles are often excited, energetic, and ready to tackle whatever comes their way. Little do they know that compassion fatigue is at their heels. Compassion fatigue is common among healthcare professionals and consists of five main concepts. These five concepts are ambiguity, no-win situations, role overload, role conflict, and failure to receive adequate recognition. Research into the concepts of compassion fatigue examines the nature and causes along with physical, emotional, and spiritual needs. To deal with it or cope there needs to be strategies and resources that can be used to avoid burnout. Warning Signs, Nature and CausesCompassion is defined as a feeling of deep sympathy and sorrow for another person affected by misfortune, along with a strong desire to alleviate one's suffering (Dictionary, n.d.). Compassion fatigue is defined as unique stressors that affect people in caring professions (Bush, 2009, p. 25). The nature of caring and compassion is shared by all human beings and when it becomes overwhelming it can lead to compassion fatigue. When a healthcare worker is stuck with this misfortune, it affects the worker, the employer and, most importantly, the patient. Burnout is a widely accepted idea in the healthcare field, but it is not addressed as it should. Being able to identify the concepts of compassion, fatigue and burn out becomes the first tool to combat problems. Ekedahl and Wengström (2008, p. 45) identify four levels of stressors in healthcare. Level four is cultural and includes psychological stressors and ethical stressors. Level four is organization and includes multifaceted stresses. Level two is group-based and includes social stress with existential...... middle of paper ......m to combat “compassion fatigue.” Hospice Management Consultant, 15(9), 102-103.Espeland, K. (2006). Overcoming Burnout: How to Revitalize Your Career. Journal of Continuing Education in Nursing, 37(4), 178-184. Hou, T., Wang, S., Lin, C., & Chen, C. (2009). A study of job stress, stress management strategies, and job satisfaction for nurses working in operating rooms of mid-level hospitals. Journal of Nursing Research, 17(3), 199-211.Gupta, V., & Woodman, C. (2010). Managing stress in a palliative care team. Pediatric Nursing, 22(10), 14-18.Ekedahl, M., & Wengström, Y. (2008). Management processes in a multidisciplinary healthcare team: a comparison between cancer care nurses and hospital chaplains. European Journal of Cancer Care, 17(1), 42-48.Dictionary reference. (n.d.). Compassion. Retrieved March 22, 2012, from dictionary.reference.com/browse/compassion