Professional Distress and Meaning in Health Care: Why Professional Empathy Can Help

For human service care providers working in hospitals, balancing the motivation for interpersonal engagement with patients alongside self-protective emotional boundaries is a familiar struggle. Empathy is a critical, although not thoroughly understood, aspect of patient care as well as an important ingredient for feeling work satisfaction and meaning. However, empathy can lead to feelings of sympathetic emotional distress and even burnout. This article uses an illustrative case study from a medical social worker in the emergency room to explore these themes of empathy, burnout, and the search for meaning in work. The discussion examines areas for further empirical study and intervention to support care-provider empathy and avoid burnout.