Date
12-16-2025
Department
School of Health Sciences
Degree
Doctor of Philosophy in Health Sciences (PhD)
Chair
Chloe Fields
Keywords
wellness champions, nurse burnout, professional fulfillment, workforce well-being, qualitative research, transcendental phenomenology, inpatient nurses, academic health system, organizational well-being, peer support, employee engagement, healthcare leadership, work environment, well-being infrastructure, nursing workforce
Disciplines
Medicine and Health Sciences
Recommended Citation
Thoman, Evan L., "Wellness Champion Networks for Registered Nurse Burnout and Professional Fulfillment: A Qualitative Study on Workforce Well-Being Among Inpatient Registered Nurses Across an Academic Health System in Georgia" (2025). Doctoral Dissertations and Projects. 7872.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/7872
Abstract
Burnout among registered nurses (RNs) remains a critical threat to workforce well-being, engagement, and patient care outcomes. Despite the growing number of organizational wellness initiatives, few have demonstrated sustainable, peer-driven impact at the unit level. The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to explore the effectiveness of a wellness champion–based model in improving workforce well-being and professional fulfillment among inpatient RNs working within an academic health system. Guided by the Job Demands Resources Model and the Maslach Burnout Framework, the study used a criterion-based, purposeful sample of ten inpatient RNs who participated in semi-structured virtual interviews. Data were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using MAXQDA software following Moustakas’ (1994) phenomenological method. Six themes emerged: leadership and culture, wellness champion support, drivers of burnout, drivers of professional fulfillment, setting personal boundaries, and resources and infrastructure. Findings indicated that wellness champions enhanced peer support, psychological safety, and fulfillment but were limited by systemic barriers such as staffing shortages and workflow inefficiencies. The study concluded that wellness champions function as key job resources that reduce emotional exhaustion and strengthen engagement when supported by leadership and organizational alignment. Future research should examine multi-site and longitudinal effects, integrate quantitative outcomes, and expand interprofessional applications to sustain and scale wellness champion programs across healthcare systems.
