The Betty Ford Foundation defines compassion fatigue as "a state of exhaustion and dysfunction derived from the empathic responses to others' suffering, which diminishes professionals' ability to provide compassionate care." Students in the School of Health Science and Wellness enter fields where this cost of caring is high and it's important to highlight how success in the short and long-term for our students depends on self-care that is designed to protect from compassion fatigue. In this episode are Joined by Associate Professor Jess Bowers and  we will start by breaking down what compassion fatigue looks like and how it impacts practitioner wellness. Then, she will help us explore the importance of proactive resourcing—taking steps to care for yourself before stress hits—and reactive resourcing—finding ways to recover and recharge when you're already feeling overwhelmed. We'll also discuss how supportive employers play a vital role in fostering a healthy work environment.

A lot of definitions universally available, frame self-esteem as a person's sense of their worth or value. With this simple understanding, it's not hard to see how someone attending college may come up against challenges in maintaining or building their self-esteem. For example, a student can easily interpret a less than desirable grade as an indicator that they are not good enough versus seeing it as an opportunity for growth and learning. Or, someone choosing a different career path from what their family wishes for them may get messages that they are failing or letting others down. 

Self-esteem also has the power to influence someone's motivation, their overall well-being, and how empowered they feel to make a difference in their area of study. Today, we have Dr. Lyna Matesi joining us to talk about some practical ways we can build self-esteem and have successful experiences in are studies.

Based on the nature of learning where students have to learn foundational critical thinking and study skills first, and that they sometimes have to take courses that don't completely fall into interest areas, it can be easy for them to sometimes feel as though they are checking boxes and it's hard to see the big picture. Or, they have real vision for what they want to achieve in the long run but it is hard to reverse plan and break things down into smaller, manageable steps.  Today, we will be talking with our local expert, Jake Wozniak about how to demystify and take the guesswork out of setting goals. We will talk through some concrete examples and strategies for goal setting.

It is not at all uncommon for students to walk into the Success Center in the School of Health Science and Wellness with the worry that they "are just not motivated." But, when asked a few follow-up questions they can easily recite all the reasons that do motivate them, from the dietetics student who is passionate to help young kids with diabetes to the Medical Lab Sciences student who is excited to work behind the scenes setting up new equipment to help assure reliable diagnosis', to the athlete who wants to do well in school and also show up for their team. What they then describe are barriers in building momentum towards their goals. In other words, students often have the desire to be successful but they just aren't as confident in how to get started and overcome roadblocks. Our conversation today will center on building that momentum and building resilience to overcome challenges and joining us to have this conversation is Chancellor, Thomas Gibson.

The Student Success Center recently had an insightful metaphor come through our inbox and it was a challenge to us all to think like farmers and we think this concept is helpful for students, particularly at the end of the semester. Most of us don't think about it on a daily basis but there are so many unknowns for farmers in the work they do but their livelihoods and ours are greatly impacted. For example, I [your host] live out of town and have seen my neighbor at home starting to harvest a field at 8:00 on a Sunday and working through the night because that is when the conditions are right and when he can get it done. In these cases, he has already put in a ton of time, energy, and resources into his fields, and he has played the long game but then he has to make the space and find the energy to harvest at the exact right time and not miss his window.  

So, what does this have to do with students? Well, the semester can feel a lot like this where students put time, energy, and resources into their studies. And like a farmer experiencing poor weather conditions, they might even experience hurdles they did not anticipate or things that are or are of their control. Then at the the end of the semester, they still have that final push of work they have to get done. The lesson in all of this for us is that we need to work in a way that takes advantage of the foundation we have spent the semester laying and that we want to prevent ourselves from adding even more tasks and stress. We want to be able to figure out what is in our control and make changes accordingly and then find a way to create energy where we need it. Today, we have two leaders in our school, Graduate Students Mikenzie Conrad and Brooklyn Miller, here to talk to us about how students can actually make those tweaks and create results for themselves and experience success at the end of the semester. 

Research on stress and trauma in recent decades, in the context of information technology, has opened may people's eyes to some of the built-in systems we have to protect ourselves. Most have a general understanding that these systems were really useful when our ancestors lived closer to nature and the elements and would have to escape a wild animal. It only makes sense that your heart starts pumping and only your vital networks kick into gear if you need to fight or escape a dangerous situation. In today's human experience, we don’t have the same stressors, but our bodies still respond as if we do. Dr. Jason Siewert is here today to talk us through these systems and to help us build some foundational skills related to how we can respond to stressors and regulate ourselves.

There seems to be growing awareness in recent years around things related to mental health, stress, and trauma where there is wider acceptance and more information than ever before. There is more understanding, flexibility, and support overall. At the same time, we still live in a culture that in a lot of ways, prioritizes productivity over wellness and for individuals to "pull themselves up by their bootstraps". In some ways it feels like we are operating in extremes where some view stress and challenge as inherently bad and it is avoided at all costs and where others continue to plow through and take on anything, at the cost of their health. Stacey Duellman is here to talk to us today about how students can balance these dichotomies and learn how to take care of themselves while still maintaining high standards and the ability to hold themselves accountable. She also shares concrete information about campus resources and supports.

Students in the School of Health Sciences and Wellness often exposed to a breadth and depth of science courses and we often hear feedback that courses like Chem and Bio are a lot tougher at the collegiate level than the high school level. Even strong students with in-depth science backgrounds come up against challenges. Luckily with a few study strategy edits and willingness to try something new, students can thrive. Here to talk to us about this today is Dr. Erin Speetzen who is not only an expert in all things chemistry and study strategies, but who is a strong advocate for students on this campus.

Students in the School of Health Sciences and Wellness are strong and energetic students who are committed to their areas of study and to serving others, but they come to UW-SP with a number of challenges that previous generations did not experience including hurdles around post-pandemic learning, a mental health crisis amongst their peers, a changing economy and career outlook, and overall uncertainty in the world around them. Students are working more hours than ever before and feel more pressure than previous generations to create a wider portfolio of skills and experiences.  We want to support students with the resources they need to learn professional skills but also tools to thrive in this fast-paced world. Joining us today is Brian Krolczyk who will be helping us build integration and personal resilience skills by zeroing in on the topic of balancing commitments and obligations.

There is not a day that goes by where we don't hear the phrase "information overload." We all have worlds of information at our fingertips and at the same time, it can be more of a struggle than ever to get started on a project because the sheer amount of sifting that has to be done. Today, Dave Dettman is here to break information overload down for us into some manageable steps. You will walk away knowing what resources are at your fingertips and how to approach research in and efficient way.