“Dr. Todaro-Franceschi calls us to look with open eyes, open hearts, and open minds at the good, the bad, the ugly, and the ugliest in health care so that together we can cultivate a healthcare world in which compassion prevails and our shared humanity is embraced… It is up to all of us to hold and safeguard each other in this sacred work. Dr. Todaro-Franceschi helps us in this mission through this extraordinary book.”

Mary Koloroutis, RN, MSN

CEO Creative Health Care Management, Minneapolis, Minnesota

Co-Creator of the Relationship-Based Care Model

In this second edition of her seminal text, Dr. Todaro-Franceschi offers new insights on professional quality of life, incorporating current practice, research literature, and examples to show how contentment and happiness of the nursing workforce is related to quality of care. The book provides practical strategies for dealing with a myriad of issues, including compassion fatigue, burnout, moral distress, caring for the dying, PTSD, and workplace violence. This resource will help empower nurses so they can create a more compassionate work environment.

Written by an acknowledged expert in end of life education, professional quality of life, and clinical leadership, the text addresses the complex nature of well-being in the nursing workforce. Supported by research but written from a holistic and personal perspective, the text includes case studies and exercises that will help the reader to identify negative patterns and explore ways to find purpose in one’s life.

New to the Second Edition:

• Expanded emphasis on how workforce well-being contributes to care quality
• Updated resources and information on national nursing initiatives related to professional quality of life
• New chapter on workplace violence (incivility, bullying and mobbing)
• New chapter on education related to improving PQOL and work environment
• Provides a Nurse Leaders Resource Toolkit to guide staff education

Key Features:

• Articulates an ethic of care developed from a transdisciplinary perspective
• Increases nurse awareness of issues that might be hindering their PQOL
• Provides strategies for enhancing staff contentment and productivity, thereby promoting a healthy work environment
• Includes real-life examples from critical care, end-of-life care, hospice, oncology, and more
• Assists nurses with grief healing

Foreword

Preface

Part 1: Professional Quality of Life

1 The Good, The Bad and The Ugly of a Nurse’s Professional Quality of Life

2 Transforming Both Health and Care in Nursing Practice

Part 2: Unity, Purpose and the Good: An Ethic of Caring

3 Compassion and Contentment: Being Heartful and Happy At Work

4 Values and Excellence in Nursing

5 The ART of Reaffirming Purpose: A Healing Model for Carers

Part 3: The Bad: Compassion Fatigue and Moral Distress

6 Compassion Fatigue: A Heavy Heart Hurts

7 Moral Distress: I Know What I Ought To Do!

Part 4: The Ugly, Uglier, and Ugliest: Burnout and Workplace Violence

8 Burnout: Feeling Empty-Hearted and Disheartened

9 Bullying and Incivility in Nursing: An Oxymoron

Part 5: Facing Death

10 Being Prepared to Care for the Dying

11 Collective Trauma and Healing in Healthcare: Aching, Breaking Hearts

Part 7: Beating the Odds

12 Changing the Mindset in Nursing Education

13 Cultivating Collective Mindful Awareness in Nursing: A Leadership Agenda

14 Imagining and Actualizing the Power of Nursing

Appendices

A. ProQOL Tool for Self-Assessment of PQOL

B. PPACD Tool for Preparedness and Ability to Care for the Dying

C. Resources

D. Nurse Leader Resource Kit

Index