Dr. Jim D'Alfonso, DNP, RN, PhD (h.c.), NEA-BC, FNAP, FAAN
Regional Executive Director, Professional Excellence and the KP Nurse Scholars Academy
1950 Franklin Street, 17th Floor
Oakland, CA 94612
Jim.N.D’Alfonso@kp.org
Janet Sohal, DNP, RN, NEA-BC
Regional Director, Kaiser Permanente Nurse Scholars Academy
NCAL Regional Patient Care Services
Janet.L.Sohal@kp.org
★Distinguished Affiliate®
Kaiser Permanente & Nurse Scholars Academy, Northern California — Distinguished for being the first and largest Watson Caring Science Affiliate thru 21 system areas. They excel in the number of Caritas Coaches® across the system and advancing caring science scholars through the Nurse Scholars Academy. Sponsor of International Caritas Consortium and multiple Kaiser Consortia for Northern California.
Since 2008, The Kaiser Permanente (KP) Nurse Scholars Academy in Northern California is proud to be the world’s largest and most senior Watson Caring Science Institute affiliate. The core concepts of Dr. Jean Watson’s Theory of Human Caring and 10 Caritas Processes®, often referred to as Watson's Caring Science, are integrated throughout and align with KP’s National Nursing Professional Practice Model. Watson's Caring Science articulates our shared nursing vision and values and guides our professional practice. Watson's Caring Science has helped our nurses remain connected to their true purpose and engaged in nurturing healing cultures for nurses, patients and the communities we serve. For over 15 years, Watson's Caring Science has fueled our collective commitment to continually advance professional practice, support personal mastery, and foster transformative healing environments.
In a post-pandemic world, all members of the patient care team must embrace the importance of self-care as a moral foundation for professional practice in healthcare today. Our integration of theory and micro-practices connects the nurse, patient, family, and health care team members by fostering authentic caring human relationships, and honoring our shared humanity. This intentional transformative connection is where healing and well-being occur for both the patient and the caregiver. Nurses flourish as they intentionally create and experience transpersonal ‘Caring Moments’ and move from knowing and doing to being and becoming the caring, healing environment. Providing nursing care or leading teams from this ethical–moral–praxis foundation our nurses embrace a higher level of caring consciousness.
We have consistently supported leaders, educators, clinical nurses, and other professional staff to become Caritas Coaches® and HeartMath™ trainers. The WCSI Caritas Coach Education Program® (CCEP) offers a structured curriculum and path to becoming a certified caritas practitioner with advanced learning in the Theory of Human Caring and awareness of life-long Caritas literacy. Certified Caritas Coaches experience and learn how to explore all ways of knowing, being, and becoming a professional nurse and to further develop their skills as change agents in advancing caring cultures and promoting care experiences through theory-guided best practices. The role of the Caritas Coach within the organization is to provide new insights on how to transform the organization by actualizing the theory of Human Caring to foster a human caring-healing environment and promote profound, authentic system transformation.
To date, Kaiser Permanente has successfully trained over 130 Caritas Coaches and over 100 HeartMath Trainers. They are part of a strategy to inculcate Watson's Caring Science across our organization, at all levels and form the inside-out. Visit our website to learn more about our Legacy programs, Equine Leadership, Research and much more.
