From Legacy to Leadership: Ten Years of Transforming Health Care With Caring Science.

Abstract

Over the past 15 years, a large health care organization has embraced Caring Science as a unifying framework. Nearly 200 Caritas Coaches have been trained, and more than 1100 nurses have advanced their academic degrees through Caring Science-aligned programs. The integration of Dr Jean Watson's Theory of Human Caring has helped shift the culture toward one grounded in love, compassion, and healing-from the bedside to the boardroom. This manuscript describes the organization's strategic investment in developing Caritas Coaches, embedding Caring Science into onboarding, leadership development, and unit-level practices. Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Caring Science emerged as a powerful anchor for resilience, purpose, and staff retention. Exemplars illustrate how executive leaders operationalized Caritas Principles to transform care delivery, create psychologically safe environments, and foster belonging. The results demonstrate that when organizations prioritize care for the caregiver, measurable improvements in staff satisfaction, patient experience, and clinical quality follow. Caring Science offers a replicable model for health systems seeking to restore humanity in health care.