On Being a Doctor
Burnout Scale
ProQOL R-IV
Professional Quality of Life Scale
Compassion Satisfaction and Fatigue Subscales - Revision IV
[Helping] people puts you in direct contact with their lives. As you probably have experienced, your compassion for those you [help]
has both positive and negative aspects. We would like to ask you
questions about your experiences, both positive and negative,
as a helper. Consider each of the following
questions about you and your current situation. Select the number that
honestly
reflects how frequently you experienced these
characteristics in the last 30 days.
- 0=Never
- 1=Rarely
- 2=A Few Times
- 3=Somewhat Often
- 4=Often
- 5=Very Often
__ 1. I am happy.
__ 2. I am preoccupied with more than one person I [help].
__ 3. I get satisfaction from being able to [help] people.
__ 4. I feel connected to others.
__ 5. I jump or am startled by unexpected sounds.
__ 6. I feel invigorated after working with those I [help].
__ 7. I find it difficult to separate my personal life from my life as a [helper].
__ 8. I am losing sleep over traumatic experiences of a person I [help].
__ 9. I think that I might have been "infected" by the traumatic stress of those I [help].
__ 10. I feel trapped by my work as a [helper].
__ 11. Because of my [helping], I have felt "on edge" about various things.
__ 12. I like my work as a [helper].
__ 13. I feel depressed as a result of my work as a [helper].
__ 14. I feel as though I am experiencing the trauma of someone I have [helped].
__ 15. I have beliefs that sustain me.
__ 16. I am pleased with how I am able to keep up with [helping] techniques and protocols.
__ 17. I am the person I always wanted to be.
__ 18. My work makes me feel satisfied.
__ 19. Because of my work as a [helper], I feel exhausted.
__ 20. I have happy thoughts and feelings about those I [help] and how I could help them.
__ 21. I feel overwhelmed by the amount of work or the size of my case [work]load I have to deal with.
__ 22. I believe I can make a difference through my work.
__ 23. I avoid certain activities or situations because they remind me of the frightening experiences of the people I [help].
__ 24. I am proud of what I can do to [help].
__ 25. As a result of my [helping], I have intrusive, frightening thoughts.
__ 26. I feel "bogged down" by the system.
__ 27. I have thoughts that I am a "success" as a [helper].
__ 28. I can't recall important parts of my work with trauma victims.
__ 29. I am a very sensitive person.
__ 30. I am happy that I chose to do this work.
© B. Hudnall Stamm. 1997-2005. Professional
Quality of Life: Compassion Satisfaction and Fatigue Subscales. R-IV
(ProQOL).
http:??www.isu.edu/~bhstamm. This test may be
freely copied as long as (a) author is credited, (b) no changes are
made, and
(c) it is not sold.
Copyright information
© B. Hudnall Stamm. 1997-2005. Professional Quality of Life: Compassion Satisfaction and Fatigue Subscales. R-IV (ProQOL). http:??www.isu.edu/~bhstamm. This test may be freely copied as long as (a) author is credited, (b) no changes are made,
and (c) it is not sold. You may substitute the appropriate target group for [helper]
if that is not the best term. For example, if you are working with
teachers, replace [helper] with teacher. Word changes
may be made to any word in italicized square
brackets to make the measure read more smoothly for a particular target
group.
Disclaimer
This information is presented for educational
purposes only. It is not a substitute for informed medical advice or
training.
Do not use this information to diagnose or treat a
health problem without consulting a qualified health or mental health
care
provider. If you have concerns, contact your
health care provider, mental health professional, or your community
health center.
Self-scoring directions, if used as self-test
- 1. Be certain you respond to all items.
- 2. On some items the scores need to be
reversed. Next to your response, write the reverse of that score (i.e.
0=0, 1=5, 2=4,
3=3). Reverse the scores on these 5 items: 1,
4, 15, 17 and 29. Please note that the value 0 is not reversed, as its
value
is always null.
- 3. Mark the items for scoring:
a. Put an X by the 10 items that form the Compassion Satisfaction Scale: 3, 6, 12, 16, 18, 20, 22, 24, 27, 30.
b. Put a check by the 10 items on the Burnout Scale: 1, 4, 8, 10, 15, 17, 19, 21, 26, 29.
c. Circle the 10 items on the Trauma/Compassion Fatigue Scale: 2, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 14, 23, 25, 28.
- 4. Add the numbers you wrote next to the items for each set of items and compare with the theoretical scores.
© B. Hudnall Stamm. 1997-2005. Professional
Quality of Life: Compassion Satisfaction and Fatigue Subscales. R-IV
(ProQOL).
http:??www.isu.edu/~bhstamm. This test may be
freely copied as long as (a) author is credited, (b) no changes are
made, and
(c) it is not sold.
INSERT YOUR ORGANIZATION NAME
Your Scores On The ProQOL: Professional Quality of Life Screening
For more information on the ProQOL, go to http://www.isu.edu/~bhstamm
Based on your responses, your personal scores are below. If you have any concerns, you should discuss them with a physical
or mental health care professional.
Compassion Satisfaction __________
Compassion satisfaction is about the pleasure
you derive from being able to do your work well. For example, you may
feel
like it is a pleasure to help others through
your work. You may feel positively about your colleagues or your
ability to
contribute to the work setting or even the
greater good of society. Higher scores on this scale represent a
greater satisfaction
related to your ability to be an effective
caregiver in your job.
The average score is 37 (SD 7; alpha scale
reliability .87). About 25% of people score higher than 42 and about
25% of people
score below 33. If you are in the higher range,
you probably derive a good deal of professional satisfaction from your
position.
If your scores are below 33, you may either find
problems with your job, or there may be some other reason - for
example,
you might derive your satisfaction from
activities other than your job.
Burnout _________
Most people have an intuitive idea of what
burnout is. From the research perspective, burnout is associated with
feelings
of hopelessness and difficulties in dealing with
work or in doing your job effectively. These negative feelings usually
have
a gradual onset. They can reflect the feeling
that your efforts make no difference, or they can be associated with a
very
high workload or a non-supportive work
environment. Higher scores on this scale mean that you are at higher
risk for burnout.
The average score on the burnout scale is 22 (SD
6.0; alpha scale reliability .72). About 25% of people score above 27
and
about 25% of people score below 18. If your
score is below 18, this probably reflects positive feelings about your
ability
to be effective n your work. If you score above
27, you may wish to think about what at work makes you feel like you
are
not effective in your position. Your score may
reflect your mood; perhaps you were having a "bad day" or are in need of
some
time off. If the high score persists or if it
is reflective of other worries, it may be a cause for concern.
Compassion Fatigue/Secondary Trauma ________
Compassion fatigue (CF), also called secondary
trauma (STS) and related to Vicarious Trauma (VT is about your
work-related,
secondary exposure to extremely stressful
events. For example, you may repeatedly hear stories about the
traumatic things
that happen to other people, commonly called VT.
If your work puts you directly in the path of danger, such as being a
soldier
or humanitarian aide worker, this is not
secondary exposure; your exposure is primary. However, if you are
exposed to others'
traumatic events as a result of your work, such
as in an emergency room or working with child protective services, this
is
secondary exposure. The symptoms of CF/STS are
usually rapid in onset an associated with a particular event. They may
include
being afraid, having difficulty sleeping, having
images of the upsetting event pop into your mind, or avoiding things
that
remind you of the event.
The average score on this scale is 13 (SD 6;
alpha scale reliability .80). About 25% of people score below 8 and
about 25%
of people score above 17. If your score is above
17, you may want to take some time to think about what at work may be
frightening
to you or if there is some other reason for the
elevated score. While higher scores do not mean that you do have a
problem,
they are an indication that you may wan to
examine how you feel about your work and your work environment. You may
wish to
discuss this with your supervisor, a colleague,
or a health care professional.
© B. Hudnall Stamm. 1997-2005. Professional
Quality of Life: Compassion Satisfaction and Fatigue Subscales. R-IV
(ProQOL).
http://www.isu.edu/~bhstamm. This test may be
freely copied as long as (a) author is credited, (b) no changes are
made, and
(c) it is not sold. This information is presented
for educational purposes only. It is not a substitute for informed
medical
advice or training. Do not use this information to
diagnose or treat a health problem without consulting a qualified
health
or mental health care provider. If you have
concerns, contact your health care provider, mental health professional,
or your
community health center.