In 2024, when Caris’ executive team began developing their 2025 budget initiatives, one program stood out as universally supported: Wellbeing Coaching. “We have recognized the escalating stress and burnout that healthcare workers face, especially in hospice care. Our heart is to provide the tools our Patient Care Managers and nurses need to care for themselves and others.” Michelle Stutz, Senior Vice President of Operations shared, “When Jennifer Yonke, Regional Vice President of Clinical Care brought this program idea to us, it was obvious it was needed. The Wellbeing Coaching Initiative is one way we choose to help our partners care for themselves personally and professionally.”

We identified 10 nurse leaders from across the company to go through this pilot program which kicked off in January. All participants were evaluated to determine baseline wellbeing (stress, burnout, self-compassion, self-leadership and engagement) and participated in individual coaching sessions with Diane Sieg, RN, CYT, CSP, founder of Well-Being Coaching Initiative. Following this launch, each person received daily texts reminding them of the wellbeing practices they might find helpful in their own wellbeing practice, recognizing that all practices do not benefit each individual in the same way.   The participants also had weekly virtual individual and group meetings which provided coaching based on the concepts of this program: Compassion, Presence, and Recovery to assist each champion to find the answers that were already present within them. 

As Diane Sieg says, “Your wellbeing determines your wellness because when you feel good about yourself, you make good decisions for yourself. Period. These good decisions include putting yourself first with kindness, especially when you make a mistake, slowing down, even when you think you are too busy, and doing something that brings you joy, even though you feel overwhelmed. These are all practices of self-leadership, the foundational skill The Well-Being Coaching Program is based on.”

We know that families and patients need nurses who are well. We count on them to provide excellent care, and Caris wants to retain this talent and support their happiness. Our post training results are powerful and set a new benchmark for Diane’s work: 

Our next step is to roll out a plan for these nurse leaders to begin training our Patient Care Managers in their regions to fold this coaching into their days and weeks. We have chosen our Patient Care Managers to share this with their teams so that they can begin changing the culture in their own offices to focus on wellbeing. While we have just begun, Caris is heartened to see the impact of supporting our nurses’ emotional wellbeing by investing in this program. For more information about the program or to learn about nursing job opportunities with Caris, reach us at 866-694-4848.