The Well-Being Coaching Program Offers Promise for Reducing Nurse Turnover and Improving Hospital Profitability
The Journal of Nursing Administration Publishes Results: Visionary Leadership at Atrium Health Empowers Nurses with Pilot of the Well-Being Coaching Program
Denver, Colorado, January 14, 2024 – As hospitals struggle with staff turnover and rising labor costs due to nurse burnout, Atrium Health decided to take bold action. They partnered with Diane Sieg, a registered nurse and well-being expert to create the Well-Being Coaching Program. The results of the pilot program, published in JONA, offer a viable solution for Chief Nursing Officers and other nurse leaders who face the daunting challenge of attracting and retaining qualified staff while improving profit margins.
In a survey1 of over 5,000 nurses, an alarming 75.8% reported experiencing job burnout in 2023 and 76.9% reported they planned to change jobs in 2024. Although job satisfaction rates have slightly improved since hitting record lows during COVID, nurse executives still grapple with the critical need to attract talent, boost job satisfaction and reduce the industry’s high turnover rate.
The costs of staff turnover have a major impact on hospital profitability, and nursing leaders must find innovative ways to control labor costs and maintain quality patient care. According to the 2024 NSI National Health Care Retention & RN Staffing Report, 2 hospitals lost an average of $4.82 million each in 2023 due to costs associated with the turnover of bedside RNs. The report offers this conclusion to nursing leadership: “The value hospitals place in their people will have a direct correlation to their commitment, confidence and engagement. Enhancing culture and building programs to reinforce these values is critical to driving retention. Focus on strategies that enhance culture and eliminate those that do not.”
Atrium Health’s leadership chose a visionary approach to valuing its staff and enhancing workplace culture by investing in the Well-Being Coaching Program. The two-year pilot program was designed to increase staff engagement, reduce stress and burnout, and create and support a culture of well-being. After three years of implementation, Atrium Health reported that their internal expansion of the program resulted in an average 30 percent reduction in turnover, saving an estimated $3 million after one year.
Rob Rose, Market Chief Nurse Executive at Atrium Health, stated, “Our partnership with Diane Sieg to develop this program has enriched our culture by profoundly improving the lives of many staff members. We care deeply about our nurses, and are excited about the positive impact of this program, in addition to the estimated cost savings of $3 million in one year.”
Programs that increase staff retention, such as the Well-Being Coaching Program, have the potential to yield millions of dollars in long-term cost savings for hospitals. Each percent increase in nurse turnover costs the average hospital $262,500 per year, 2 which could be saved.
A study published about the successful pilot program in the January 2025 Journal of Nursing Administration (subscription or purchase required to access full article), concluded this about the Well-Being Coaching Program (WBCP): "The integration of self-leadership principles and the CPR framework offered a holistic approach that extended beyond traditional self-care strategies. As healthcare organizations grapple with the ongoing challenges posed by the healthcare environment, investing in comprehensive well-being programs such as the WBCP could prove instrumental in fostering a resilient and thriving workforce.”
Unlike conventional company wellness or self-care programs, the Well-Being Coaching Program is transformative due to its unique ability to foster self-leadership, which goes deeper than transactional self-care tactics. Self-leadership empowers individuals to improve the relationship they have with themselves to make better decisions that enhance their overall well-being. Program participants are taught to take charge of their own behaviors, actions and decisions in order to attain their personal and professional goals. The outcome is less stress and more contentment as nurses learn to feel good about themselves every day, leading to a culture of well-being.
The program’s highly scalable train-the-trainer model produces internal coaches and champions who are then responsible for expanding the program within the organization. When implemented within a large hospital organization over four years, the Well-Being Coaching Program can produce nearly 6,000 staff members who are directly trained to coach and champion their colleagues in order to create and sustain a culture of well-being at both the unit and organizational levels.
Diane Sieg, founder of the Well Being Coaching Initiative, stated, “As a nurse myself, my lifelong passion is to help nurses and hospitals thrive by empowering individuals to feel good about themselves and what they do every day. I’m so proud of what the Atrium Health team has accomplished in this program, and I expect that the results will help to sustain their culture of well-being far into the future.”
About the Well-Being Coaching Initiative (WBCI)
The WBCI helps hospitals and healthcare organizations create a culture of well-being, which attracts and retains high-performing staff while improving profit margins by reducing the costs associated with turnover. Internal coaches and champions are trained to empower staff at the unit and organizational level. After one year, the program was proven to reduce staff turnover by 30% and decrease burnout by 42%. The WBCI was developed by Diane Sieg, registered nurse, speaker, coach, author, and well-being expert. Learn more about the WBCI and founder Diane Sieg at DianeSieg.com.
The Well-Being Coaching Initiative
The WBCI helps healthcare organizations create a Culture of Well-Being, which attracts and retains high-performing staff. Internal Coaches and Champions are trained to empower staff at the unit and organizational level and is proven to improve Well-Being and Turnover up to 30%.
© 2025 Diane Sieg
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