Courageous caring conversations: Promoting faculty wellbeing

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Academic Workplace Health
• Professional Development

Background:

• Nursing academe faces challenges impacting faculty wellbeing and collegiality.
• A supportive environment is crucial for addressing ethical dilemmas and academic conflicts.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce Courageous Caring Conversations (CCC) as a strategy to enhance faculty wellbeing.
• To cultivate a culture of caring, civility, and respect within nursing education.
• To adapt Schwartz Healthcare Rounds for nursing academic settings.

Main Methods:

• The Courageous Caring Conversations strategy adapts Schwartz Healthcare Rounds for nursing education.
• It incorporates Chinn's Peace and Power process to guide discussions.
• The process includes a shared meal for informal connection, followed by facilitated discussions on ethical and collegial challenges.

Main Results:

• Facilitates open discussion of ethical dilemmas and challenging academic situations.
• Encourages faculty to debrief semester challenges, fostering deeper understanding and empathy.
• Promotes a healthy academic workplace where conflict is viewed as transformative.

Conclusions:

• Courageous Caring Conversations effectively support faculty wellbeing and a culture of civility.
• This approach enhances empathy and compassion among nursing faculty.
• It contributes to a positive and productive academic environment in nursing.