YOUR SCORES ON THE PROQOL: PROFESSIONAL QUALITY OF LIFE SCREENING
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 50 (SD 10; alpha scale reliability .88). About 25% of people score higher than 57 and about
25% of people score below 43. If you are in the higher range, you probably derive a good deal of professional
satisfaction from your position. If your scores are below 40, 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 one of the
elements of compassion fatigue. It 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 50 (SD 10; alpha scale reliability .75). About 25% of people score above
57 and about 25% of people score below 43. If your score is below 18, this probably reflects positive feelings about
your ability to be effective in your work. If you score above 57 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.
Secondary Traumatic Stress_____________
The second component of Compassion Fatigue (CF) is secondary traumatic stress (STS). It is about your work-
related, secondary exposure to extremely or traumatically stressful events. Developing problems due to exposure
to other’s trauma is somewhat rare but does happen to many people who care for those who have experienced
extremely or traumatically stressful events. For example, you may repeatedly hear stories about the traumatic
things that happen to other people, commonly called Vicarious Traumatization. You may see or provide treatment
to people who have experienced horrific events. If your work puts you directly in the path of danger, due to your
work as a soldier or civilian working in military medicine personnel, 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 providing
care to casualties or for those in a military medical rehabilitation facility, this is secondary exposure. The symptoms
of STS are usually rapid in onset and 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 50 (SD 10; alpha scale reliability .81). About 25% of people score below 43 and
about 25% of people score above 57. If your score is above 57, 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 want 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, 2009. Professional Quality of Life: Compassion Satisfaction and Fatigue Version 5 (ProQOL).
/www.isu.edu/~bhstamm or www.proqol.org. This test may be freely copied as long as (a) author is credited, (b) no changes are
made, and (c) it is not sold.