In our 30-bed pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) we care for a mixed population of medical, surgical, and cardiac patients. The unit has an active shared governance committee comprising caregivers from multiple disciplines, and each year the team sets annual goals that align with those established by our health care system. In 2018, the organizational goal to support nurse wellness shaped the committee’s aim to plan and host a PICU Family Day. The goal of the event was for all members of the PICU team to invite their families and loved ones to the hospital to learn about what it is like to work in a critical care environment.

Critical care teams work in challenging and often high-stress environments that can take a toll on their overall health. The literature on healthy work environments explores in depth the phenomenon of compassion fatigue, describing it as a combination of the mental...

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