Professional Quality of Life Scale, Version 5

The Professional Quality of Life Scale (ProQOL-5) is widely recognized as the premier measure for assessing the complex emotional impact of working in…

Questions: 30
Duration: 5 min
Original title: Professional Quality Of Life Scale, Version 5
Adaptation: Professional Quality of Life Scale, Version 5
Authors: Stamm, B. H.
Created: 2009

The Professional Quality of Life Scale (ProQOL-5) is widely recognized as the premier measure for assessing the complex emotional impact of working in helping professions. Designed for healthcare providers, this instrument captures both the protective and depleting elements of clinical work over the preceding 30 days.

Unlike generic tools mapping psychosocial risks at work, the ProQOL-5 explicitly targets the unique psychological demands of trauma exposure. It differentiates between systemic exhaustion and the specific secondary trauma symptoms absorbed from patients. As a validated measure, it provides a reliable baseline to monitor practitioner wellbeing.

By evaluating fulfillment alongside fatigue, the ProQOL-5 offers a nuanced picture of professional resilience. It helps supervisors isolate whether a clinician is primarily facing burnout or secondary trauma, allowing them to structure better self-care tips or systemic support before impairment occurs.

Example result

Fictitious result, computed from a sample set of answers.

The Professional Quality of Life Scale (ProQOL-5) is the most widely used standardized tool for assessing the positive and negative effects experienced by helping and healthcare professionals (psychologists, healthcare workers, social workers, frontline responders). It measures three distinct dimensions: compassion satisfaction (the pleasure and meaning derived from one's ability to help others), professional burnout (associated with work overload and feelings of helplessness), and secondary traumatic stress or vicarious traumatization (associated with repeated indirect exposure to trauma experienced by clients/patients).

Professional Burnout (Burnout)

30/ 50

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.

items 1, 4, 8, 10, 15, 17, 19, 21, 26, 29

10–22

Low

23–41

Moderate

42–50

High

Moderate level of Burnout

généralegeneral population · Psychologists · Australia · n = 245 · 2021

1050

M = 26.2 ± 5.6

Compassion Satisfaction

28/ 50

Compassion satisfaction is the satisfaction individuals derive from performing their work-related tasks well, in addition to satisfaction with one’s colleagues, and how one’s work has broader societal value.

items 3, 6, 12, 16, 18, 20, 22, 24, 27, 30

10–22

Low

23–41

Moderate

42–50

High

Moderate level of Compassion Satisfaction

généralegeneral population · Psychologists · Australia · n = 245 · 2021

1050

M = 37 ± 6

Secondary Traumatic Stress

32/ 50

Secondary traumatic stress reflects feelings of fear stemming from interactions with patients that leave the health professional preoccupied with the trauma experienced by the patient.

items 2, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 14, 23, 25, 28

10–22

Low

23–41

Moderate

42–50

High

Moderate level of Secondary Traumatic Stress

généralegeneral population · Psychologists · Australia · n = 245 · 2021

1050

M = 22.4 ± 5.9

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What the test measures

The ProQOL-5 assesses the dual nature of professional caregiving by measuring three distinct components of occupational wellbeing.

Compassion Satisfaction: The pleasure, fulfillment, and positive meaning derived from doing clinical work well, feeling effective, and contributing to the greater good.
Burnout: The feelings of exhaustion, frustration, and systemic entrapment often tied to various sources of workplace stress and heavy workloads.
Secondary Traumatic Stress: The negative psychological symptoms resulting from secondary exposure to the traumatic experiences of patients, which can dysregulate the autonomic nervous system and cause intrusive thoughts.

This measure is specifically designed for professionals exposed to the distress of others, such as therapists, nurses, and emergency responders.

When and why to use it

Clinicians and supervisors typically administer the ProQOL-5 to monitor the occupational health of healthcare providers and map the specific sources of their distress.

Clinical supervision baselines: Establishing an initial profile of a supervisee’s occupational wellbeing to guide mentoring and caseload management.
Differentiating fatigue profiles: Distinguishing between systemic exhaustion and vicarious trauma to tailor targeted interventions, similar to recognizing PTSD versus general anxiety.
Routine professional monitoring: Tracking shifts in compassion satisfaction and fatigue over time, especially during periods of high clinical demand.
Post-incident screening: Evaluating the psychological impact on providers after managing a severe crisis or processing a bad workday that involved extreme patient distress.

A validated score provides a measurable, objective anchor that moves the conversation beyond vague self-reports of feeling drained, bringing much-needed precision to clinical impression alone.

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The questions

When you help people you have direct contact with their lives. As you may have found, your compassion for those you help can affect you in positive and negative ways. Below are some questions about your experiences, both positive and negative, as a helper. Consider each of the following questions about you and your current work situation. Select the number that honestly reflects how frequently you experienced these things in the last 30 days.
1. I am happy.
Probes the individual's baseline sense of subjective well-being and general life satisfaction.
- Never
- Rarely
- Sometimes
- Often
- Very often
2. I am preoccupied with more than one of the people I help.
Assesses the tendency to carry clinical concerns outside of dedicated working hours.
- Never
- Rarely
- Sometimes
- Often
- Very often
3. I feel satisfaction from being able to help others.
Evaluates the core sense of professional fulfillment derived from caregiving.
- Never
- Rarely
- Sometimes
- Often
- Very often
4. I feel connected to others.
Probes the clinician's sense of social integration and absence of isolation.
- Never
- Rarely
- Sometimes
- Often
- Very often
5. I jump or am startled by unexpected noises.
Screens for hyperarousal, a key somatic indicator of secondary trauma.
- Never
- Rarely
- Sometimes
- Often
- Very often
6. Working with the people I help gives me energy.
Assesses the presence of energy replenishment rather than depletion from clinical contact.
- Never
- Rarely
- Sometimes
- Often
- Very often
7. I find it difficult to separate my personal life from my life as a helper.
Evaluates boundary permeability and the encroachment of professional identity on private life.
- Never
- Rarely
- Sometimes
- Often
- Very often
8. My productivity at work decreases because I lose sleep over the traumatic experiences of a person I help.
Probes the functional impact of vicarious trauma on rest and professional efficacy.
- Never
- Rarely
- Sometimes
- Often
- Very often
9. I think that I may have been affected by the traumatic stress of the people I help.
Assesses the clinician's explicit awareness of being impacted by secondary trauma.
- Never
- Rarely
- Sometimes
- Often
- Very often
10. I feel trapped by my work as a helper.
Evaluates feelings of entrapment, a hallmark cognitive distortion in severe burnout.
- Never
- Rarely
- Sometimes
- Often
- Very often
11. As a result of my helping work, I have felt 'on edge' for various reasons.
Screens for generalized hypervigilance and heightened nervous system activation.
- Never
- Rarely
- Sometimes
- Often
- Very often
12. I like my work as a helper.
Probes the foundational enjoyment and positive appraisal of the clinical profession.
- Never
- Rarely
- Sometimes
- Often
- Very often
13. I feel depressed because of the traumatic experiences of the people I help.
Assesses the presence of secondary depressive symptoms directly linked to patient trauma.
- Never
- Rarely
- Sometimes
- Often
- Very often
14. I feel like I am experiencing the trauma of someone I have helped.
Evaluates extreme emotional contagion and the internalization of a patient's traumatic material.
- Never
- Rarely
- Sometimes
- Often
- Very often
15. My beliefs sustain me.
Probes the presence of an active cognitive or spiritual framework that provides resilience.
- Never
- Rarely
- Sometimes
- Often
- Very often
16. I am satisfied with how I keep up with new helping techniques and protocols.
Assesses the clinician's sense of professional competence and ongoing mastery.
- Never
- Rarely
- Sometimes
- Often
- Very often
17. I am the person I have always wanted to be.
Evaluates self-actualization and the alignment between current reality and life goals.
- Never
- Rarely
- Sometimes
- Often
- Very often
18. My work brings me satisfaction.
Probes the overall degree of contentment derived directly from occupational tasks.
- Never
- Rarely
- Sometimes
- Often
- Very often
19. I feel exhausted by my work as a helper.
Assesses direct occupational exhaustion and physical depletion.
- Never
- Rarely
- Sometimes
- Often
- Very often
20. I have pleasant thoughts and feelings about the people I help and how I have been able to help them.
Evaluates the capacity to maintain positive emotional associations with patients.
- Never
- Rarely
- Sometimes
- Often
- Very often
21. I feel overwhelmed because my workload seems endless.
Probes the psychological weight of systemic demands and perceived workload infinity.
- Never
- Rarely
- Sometimes
- Often
- Very often
22. I believe my work makes a difference.
Assesses the clinician's sense of professional efficacy and meaningful impact.
- Never
- Rarely
- Sometimes
- Often
- Very often
23. I avoid certain activities or situations because they remind me of frightening experiences of people I help.
Screens for behavioral avoidance directly related to secondary trauma triggers.
- Never
- Rarely
- Sometimes
- Often
- Very often
24. I am proud of what I can do to help.
Evaluates professional pride and the positive integration of the helper identity.
- Never
- Rarely
- Sometimes
- Often
- Very often
25. As a result of my helping work, I am invaded by frightening thoughts.
Assesses the intrusion of distressing cognitive imagery resulting from clinical exposure.
- Never
- Rarely
- Sometimes
- Often
- Very often
26. I feel 'stuck' by the system.
Probes the specific frustration and helplessness caused by systemic or institutional barriers.
- Never
- Rarely
- Sometimes
- Often
- Very often
27. I feel successful in my work as a helper.
Evaluates positive self-appraisal regarding professional competence and outcomes.
- Never
- Rarely
- Sometimes
- Often
- Very often
28. I can't remember important parts of my work with trauma victims.
Screens for dissociative amnesia or cognitive blocks related to clinical trauma exposure.
- Never
- Rarely
- Sometimes
- Often
- Very often
29. It is very important for me to take care of others.
Probes the individual's core self-concept as an empathetic and compassionate individual.
- Never
- Rarely
- Sometimes
- Often
- Very often
30. I am happy that I chose to do this work.
Assesses retrospective satisfaction and enduring validation of the career choice.
- Never
- Rarely
- Sometimes
- Often
- Very often