Advisor(s)

Larry Hearld

Committee Member(s)

David Rogers
Gabrielle Rocque
Ruoyan Sun
Shane Sinclair

Document Type

Dissertation

Date of Award

6-1-2026

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

School

School of Health Professions

Department

Administration/Health Services

Abstract

Healthcare workforce wellbeing is a public health priority, motivated by mounting evidence that healthcare workers are suffering. High rates of burnout, mental and physical health consequences, and turnover are signals of this underlying suffering. These issues threaten individual wellbeing, and the quality and sustainability of healthcare. As healthcare organizations have increasingly prioritized workplace wellbeing, organizational compassion has emerged as a promising strategy, referring to system-level efforts to legitimize, encourage, and enable employees to show compassion to one another. Although studies support organizational compassion as associated with positive outcomes, little attention has been given to the relational dynamics through which compassion is exchanged. This is a critical gap, as compassion is inherently a relational process involving recognizing, empathizing with, and acting to alleviate suffering. Further knowledge about the relational exchange of compassion between employees, also known as compassion at work (CAW), can improve organizational compassion approaches. This three-paper dissertation advances knowledge of CAW in healthcare settings, focusing on the relational dynamics in which compassion is exchanged. The first paper presents a scoping review that synthesizes existing research on CAW in healthcare settings and identifies key gaps in knowledge regarding its processes, predictors, and outcomes. The second and third papers use social network analysis to examine the structure of CAW among employees in outpatient oncology clinics. The second paper examines the social dynamics associated with CAW, including homophily, reciprocity, and multiplexity of compassion networks with friendship networks. The third paper examines whether individuals’ centrality within compassion-receipt networks is associated with burnout, and whether exposure to suffering moderates these relationships. Findings from the scoping review suggest that research on CAW in healthcare settings is growing, with results supporting the promise of CAW for promoting healthcare worker wellbeing. The second paper suggests that CAW is structured by select social dynamics within healthcare settings. The third paper provides evidence cautioning healthcare leaders about widespread expressions of compassion for employees with high-frequency personal suffering. Taken together, this dissertation provides clarity about how future research can further elucidate how healthcare workers can use relational dynamics to advance healthcare worker wellbeing.

Keywords

Compassion at work;Healthcare Worker;Oncology;Scoping Review;Social Network Analysis;Wellbeing

Download

Available for download on Monday, May 29, 2028

Share

COinS