Dawn Whitten, DSW

Sharon Hospital

Bio

Dawn Whitten has been a social worker at Sharon Hospital for 27 years. She graduated in 1995 with a master’s degree in social work from Fordham University. She began her career at Sharon Hospital in June of 1995 in the case management department. Dawn enjoys the hospital setting as it affords her with the opportunity to experience the many domains of the social work profession. Medical social work has provided Dawn with experience and skill development in areas such as crisis intervention, discharge planning, substance abuse, psychiatric assessments and referrals, palliative care, and hospice. Dawn is a member of the Sharon Hospital Ethics Committee, and Co- Chair of the Sharon Hospital Palliative Care Committee.

In 2014 Dawn returned to school and follow a dream to further her education. In May 2019 Dawn was awarded her doctoral degree in social work from Capella University. Her dissertation title was “Moral Distress: Inspiring Organizational Change in One Rural Community Hospital”. Through her research and personal experiences as a medical social worker Dawn has made it a professional goal to educate health care professionals on moral distress and arm them with the skills and tools necessary to combat moral distress in the health care setting.

Dawn is married and has three sons. She is an active board member of the Pleasant Valley Little League and enjoys vacations with her family. In her free time Dawn enjoys reading, crocheting, and scrapbooking.

Scholarly Project

Recognizing & Combating Moral Distress

SCHOLARLY PROJECT

Recognizing & Combating Moral Distress

Dawn Whitten, DSW

Patricia A. Tietjen, MD
Teaching Academy, Nuvance Health

PROJECT ABSTRACT

Recognizing & Combating Moral Distress

The purpose of this program is to introduce healthcare professionals to the concept of moral distress and provide them with the skills necessary to combat the morally distressing events in their everyday work environment. The need for this program emerged from a 2019 action research study that questioned the ways moral distress education can empower healthcare professionals at a rural community hospital to facilitate organizational changes that combat moral distress and nurture moral courage (Whitten, 2019). The action plan identified in the Whitten (2019) study outlined the need for a hospital-wide education program on the topic of moral distress. This educational program will be piloted with Sharon Hospital’s PACT team in late June 2022. The 1.5 hours program will be held in person at Sharon Hospital or via Teams depending on covid restrictions at the time. The program will provide instruction to learners through a multitude of educational formats and serve as the foundation for a formal moral distress curriculum to be utilized throughout the Nuvance network. The curriculum will provide learners an opportunity to participate in case presentations followed by analytical group discussion and self-reflection activities. Each instructional segment will incorporate a video excerpt from The Moral Distress Project (University of Kentucky College of Medicine, 2014) to further enhance the learning experience. The anticipated results of this educational program are that healthcare professionals will be able to identify the key elements of morally distressing situations, identify the source of the distress, and apply the skills of moral courage to the case presentations. Learners will complete a post- education evaluation survey designed to capture quantitative data that inform goals, objectives, and quality improvement activities. Preliminary data results will be shared with the learners and administrative leadership to promote continuous curriculum development and support network-wide implementation of additional programs to support the physical, emotional, and psychological well-being of healthcare professionals. This educational program has the potential to improve staff communication, professional collaboration, employee engagement, patient care delivery ultimately the moral climate throughout the entire organization. Evidence shows that organizations that empower their employees through open communication, support, and shared governance are often in a better position to meet the goals of the organization through group cohesion. Cohesion promotes teamwork and a shared commitment to providing the highest level of quality care to the patient and their families.