Field
Medicine/Nursing
Project Description
In this mixed-methods study, we will explore how nurses operationalize compassion and kindness, towards themselves and others, in challenging dynamics of conflict, hostility, and violence. Our findings may support the development of models of compassion and kindness amidst challenges, with potential for transferability beyond the field of nursing. Comprising the largest group of healthcare professionals in the United States, nurses’ engagement with the public strategically positions them to implement models of kindness and compassion with large-scale impact.
Team
Kirsten Buen, MarySue V. Heilemann, Melissa Powell
Kirsten Inducil Buen, PhD, RN, MA is a postdoctoral fellow funded by the National Research Service Award (NRSA) Institutional Researching Training Grant (T32) Primary Care Research Fellowship at UCLA. In her research, she has explored how clinicians in palliative care navigate conflict and discord in clinical practice. She is deeply committed to clinician wellness and exploring systemic and structural factors that constrain clinicians’ commitments to professional principles, including compassion and moral integrity.
MarySue V. Heilemann, PhD, RN, FAAN is a professor at the UCLA School of Nursing, an Associate Program Director of the UCLA National Clinician Scholars Program, and the Chair of the School of Nursing’s Faculty Executive Committee. She is currently leading a large NIMH RCT and is also an expert in Grounded Theory methodology informed by Constructivism and Pragmatism who has mentored graduate students, post-doctoral scholars, and young faculty in qualitative research at UCLA and internationally. She is a strong advocate for nurse well-being and has sought to improve the accuracy of portrayals of nurses in film and television through collaboration, consulting, and speaking.
Melissa Powell, PhD RN CPHQ is a postdoctoral fellow at UCLA in the National Clinician Scholars Program. Her research has focused on understanding the experiences and support needs of nurses after traumatic clinical events, including the COVID-19 pandemic. Her current work includes the development and implementation of a new peer-to-peer support program for nurses at UCLA Health focusing on timely emotional first aid and referral resources that promote well-being and retention.