69_The Impact of Compassion with Dr. Laura McClelland

Healthcare Plus Podcast

Quint Studer is joined by special guest Laura McClelland to discuss the impact of compassion on healthcare organizations and how managers can demonstrate compassion to their workforce. Laura currently serves as Associate Professor in the Department of Health Administration at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU).

When Laura McClelland’s father was diagnosed with stage IV melanoma, she began spending considerable time with him at California Pacific Medical Center while he received treatment. As someone studying management and interested in workplace dynamics, she was struck by the level of compassion with which staff treated patients, family members, and one another. She could see clearly the impact this had on both the workplace culture and patient outcomes. Following that experience, Laura began her journey to understand the benefits of compassion in the workplace and build a business case for why compassion matters to healthcare organizations.

From her latest research, Laura shares insights on:

· The relation between compassion and improved patient outcomes in healthcare organizations

· The immunological benefits of compassion for patients

· The impact of a compassionate work environment on employee burnout, emotional exhaustion, teamwork, and performance productivity

· The direct financial implications of compassionate workplaces

Laura says that leaders can use this research to begin modelling compassion in their own organizations and create an environment where it is both expected and appropriate.
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Dr. Laura McClelland is an Associate Professor and the Director of the HSOR PhD program at Virginia Commonwealth University in the Department of Health Administration. She received her Ph.D. in Organization & Management from Emory University and B.S. degrees in both Management and Economics from Villanova University. Before entering academia, she was a management consultant for PricewaterhouseCoopers and IBM. She is a highly regarded expert in health care management, leadership, workplace compassion, employee well-being, and patient experience. Her research is published in top health services and social science journals and cited in popular press outlets such as CNN and Kaiser Health News. She has served on the National Academy of Medicine Scientific Advisory Panel on the Evidence for Patient and Family-Centered Care, and has received multiple national and international awards for teaching excellence.