Date
8-29-2025
Department
Rawlings School of Divinity
Degree
Doctor of Ministry (DMin)
Chair
David Martinez
Keywords
moral injury, hospice care, chaplaincy, spiritual care, rural ministry, nurse well-being, moral distress
Disciplines
Christianity
Recommended Citation
Hicks, Franklin, "A Chaplain-Specific Care Plan for Addressing Moral Injury and Promoting Holistic Well-Being in Nurses That Have Transitioned from Hospital Care to Hospice Care" (2025). Doctoral Dissertations and Projects. 7431.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/7431
Abstract
This thesis project, “A Chaplain-Specific Care Plan for Addressing Moral Injury and Promoting Holistic Well-Being in Nurses That Have Transitioned from Hospital Care to Hospice Care,” addresses the lack of chaplain-led interventions for nurses suffering from moral injury. Many nurses who transitioned from hospital to hospice care reported ongoing moral residue from ethically distressing events in acute settings. The purpose of this project was to evaluate the effectiveness of a spiritually grounded care plan, developed and facilitated by a board-certified chaplain, to address these moral wounds and promote holistic well-being among hospice nurses.
Twelve hospice nurses in West Tennessee participated in a six-week intervention, consisting of weekly sessions that incorporated confession, guided lament, reflective journaling, and spiritual processing rooted in Christian theology. Mixed methods were used, including a holistic well-being survey administered pre-intervention, post-intervention, and at one-month follow-up, along with qualitative data collected through open-ended surveys, field notes, and follow-up interviews. While immediate post-intervention results showed modest improvement, follow-up data demonstrated statistically significant increases in emotional and spiritual well-being.
This project confirms that spiritual interventions grounded in confession, meaning-making, and pastoral presence can effectively support moral healing. The findings have broader implications for chaplains and ministry leaders serving in healthcare contexts, particularly in rural or underserved areas. The model developed here encourages chaplains to advocate for institutional recognition of moral injury and to lead structured, biblically informed interventions that restore dignity and resilience to caregivers who bear the hidden wounds of their calling.
