Cunningham and his team of case study authors present compelling arguments for thinking about compassion as accessible to and learnable by all. As a researcher, educator, and now a dean, I love that this well-written and hopeful book explores both the ‘why’ and the ‘how’ of compassion training and pays close attention to compassionate experiences across learning environments, research labs, and care delivery alike.
Sean P. Clarke, PhD, RN, FAAN
Dean and Professor, Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing, Emory University
Editor-in-Chief, Nursing Outlook
Tim, thank you for this gift to nursing and humankind. This book is an essential resource with a powerful call to action for every nurse who believes that excellence and humanity must remain inseparable. This is an enduring guide for cultivating compassion within us, extending it to others, and embedding it in the systems we are called to transform.
Katie Boston-Leary, PhD, MBA, MHA, RN, NEA-BC, FADLN, FAONL, FAAN
Senior Vice President of Equity & Engagement
American Nurses Enterprise
In a profession facing workforce shortages, burnout, technological disruption, and increasing complexity, compassion can no longer be assumed. It must be intentionally cultivated. Cultivating Compassion in Nursing: From Learner to Leader reframes compassion as more than an innate trait, presenting it as a teachable, measurable, and sustainable professional skill. Drawing on nursing science, neuroscience, leadership research, and real-world case studies, Tim Cunningham demonstrates how compassion strengthens human connection while supporting resilience in today’s healthcare environments.
Through evidence-based research, reflective exercises, storytelling, art, and companion learning tools, readers learn to:
- Develop compassion as a professional competency
- Build resilience and meaningful connections
- Address cultural and organizational barriers to compassionate care
- Lead with humanity in complex healthcare settings
- Foster sustainable cultures of compassion across care environments
TABLE OF CONTENTS
- Section I: What We Think We Know About Compassion
- Chapter 1: Compassion in Abundance
- Chapter 2: Compassionate Threads Across Nursing History
- Chapter 3: Compassion: The Muscle
- Chapter 4: It Starts With You: Self-Compassion
- Chapter 5: Copycat Compassion: Our Mirror Neurons
- Chapter 6: The Enemies of Compassion
- Chapter 7: What if We Think of Compassion Like a Disease? The Epidemiology of Compassion
- Chapter 8: Thought to Practice: The Action of Compassion
- Section II: Compassion in Nursing Education—It’s Only Up From Here
- Chapter 9: Micro-dosing Compassion in the Classroom
- Chapter 10: Compassion in Challenging Settings
- Chapter 11: Compassion Practice Among Peers
- Section III: Compassion in Clinical Practice
- Chapter 12: Clock-in, Clock-out Compassion
- Chapter 13: Empathy Fatigue, Compassion Fatigue, Burnout, and Well-Being: Know Your Terms
- Chapter 14: Compassionate Professional Development
- Section IV: Compassion as a Nurse Leader
- Chapter 15: Compassion and AI: Collaboration Toward Flourishing
- Chapter 16: Compassion on the Agenda
- Chapter 17: Compassionate Crucial Conversations
- Chapter 18: Leading Compassionate Teams
- Section V: Compassion Across the Nursing Life Span
- Chapter 19: Mentorship Matters
- Chapter 20: Compassionate Beginnings
- Chapter 21: Compassionate Endings: A Fulfilling Career in Nursing
- Afterword
- Bibliography
AVAILABLE ON THE SIGMA REPOSITORY
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Tim Cunningham, DrPH, MSN, RN, FAAN, is an internationally renowned keynote speaker, author, and expert on healthcare professional well-being. An emergency nurse by clinical practice who later became a hospital executive leader, co-founding an office of well-being that supported 35,000 staff at a large academic medical center, Cunningham has had the privilege to work closely with nurses and leaders globally to strengthen the ways we care for others.
