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DiversityNursing Blog

The Importance of a Healthy Work Environment

Posted by Erica Bettencourt

Tue, Oct 24, 2023 @ 10:39 AM

Creating a healthy work environment for Nurses should be a top priority for employers in the healthcare industry. Nurses play a vital role in patient care, and their well-being directly impacts the quality of care they provide. By addressing some of the biggest issues in Nursing today, such as recruitment, retention, burnout, and bullying, employers can create a positive and supportive work environment that ultimately benefits both Nurses and patients.

Recruitment and retention are ongoing challenges in the industry. Many healthcare facilities struggle to attract and retain qualified Nurses, leading to staffing shortages and increased workload for the existing staff. By focusing on creating healthy work environments, employers can make their organizations more appealing to prospective Nurses and enhance employee satisfaction and loyalty. A positive work environment with adequate resources, support, and opportunities for professional growth can attract and retain talented Nurses, ensuring a stable workforce and improving patient outcomes.

Burnout is a pervasive issue among Nurses, resulting from the demanding nature of their work and high levels of stress. A negative work environment can exacerbate burnout and its associated physical, emotional, and mental exhaustion. 

A McKinsey Health Institute (MHI) report found a direct correlation between a workplace's toxicity and the levels of stress and burnout reported by its employees. According to this research, employees are almost 8 times more likely to report symptoms of burnout when faced with high levels of toxic workplace behavior.

Employers need to prioritize the well-being of their Nursing staff by implementing strategies that promote work-life balance, provide access to support services, and encourage self-care. By fostering a culture of wellness and offering resources to manage stress, employers can mitigate burnout and create an environment where Nurses feel valued and supported.

Bullying is another significant issue that affects Nurses' well-being and job satisfaction. Workplace bullying can lead to increased stress, anxiety, and decreased morale among Nurses, ultimately impacting patient care. 

According to an article from the National Library of Medicine, "A significant percentage of Nurses leave their first job due to the negative behaviors of their coworkers, and bullying is likely to exacerbate the growing Nurse shortage. A bullying culture contributes to a poor Nurse work environment, increased risk to patients, lower Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) patient satisfaction scores, and greater Nurse turnover."

Health systems must take proactive measures to prevent and address bullying in the workplace. This includes implementing clear policies against bullying, providing training on respectful communication and conflict resolution, and fostering a culture of respect and collaboration. By creating a safe and respectful work environment, employers can empower Nurses to excel in their roles and provide the best possible care to patients.

Negative workplaces not only harm the well-being of Nurses but also contribute to disengagement and decreased job satisfaction. When Nurses feel unsupported, unappreciated, or overwhelmed by their work environment, they are more likely to become disengaged, which can ultimately lead to decreased productivity and compromised patient care. Employers must recognize the impact of the work environment on Nurse engagement and take steps to create a positive and empowering atmosphere. This can be achieved through open communication, involving Nurses in decision-making processes, and providing opportunities for professional development and growth.

In conclusion, creating a healthy work environment for Nurses should be a top priority for employers. By addressing issues such as recruitment, retention, burnout, and bullying, employers can create a positive and supportive workplace that enhances Nurses' well-being and improves patient care. Investing in the well-being of Nurses not only benefits the individuals but also contributes to the overall success of healthcare organizations. Employers must recognize the crucial role Nurses play in healthcare and take proactive steps to ensure their work environment fosters their growth, satisfaction, and ultimately, the provision of high-quality patient care.

Topics: nursing, nurse, nursing career, nursing staff, nursing stress, nurse engagement, nursing workforce, workplace culture, healthy workplace, healthcare workforce, nursing field, inclusive workplace, work environment

Chief Nursing Officers Suffer Moral Distress in Isolation

Posted by Pat Magrath

Thu, Mar 09, 2017 @ 10:46 AM

work-stress-title-image_tcm7-212368.jpgHave you heard the term “moral distress”? It might be something you deal with occasionally in your job. You might have to go along with a decision made by a patient’s family member or it could be a decision made at you place of employment that makes you uncomfortable. This is moral distress.
 
We deal with it in our personal  and professional lives. This article talks about moral distress for CNO’s. We hope it’s enlightening.
 
The concept of moral distress in nursing—the disequilibrium resulting from the recognition of and inability to react ethically to a situation—has been around since the 1980s, and it's been acknowledged that some bedside nurses experience it during challenging situations such as when there is a conflict surrounding end-of-life care.

But what about chief nursing officers? They aren't providing direct care at the bedside, but do they still experience moral distress?

The answer, according to a qualitative study published in the Journal of Nursing Administration in February, is yes. It's just taboo to talk about it.

"There's shame and isolation when you do have the experience, so it can make it very difficult for people to feel like they can openly discuss it," says Rose O. Sherman, EdD, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN, professor and director of the Nursing Leadership Institute at Florida Atlantic University.

Sherman is one of the study's authors. "I think that the other piece of it is, CNOs might not always label it as moral distress. But these are uncomfortable situations where they're making decisions against their values systems."

Through oral interviews, Sherman and her co-author, Angela S. Prestia, PhD, RN, NE-BC, discussed chief nursing officers' experiences of moral distress, including its short and long-term effects. Prestia is corporate chief nurse at The GEO Group.

The study's 20 participants described their experiences of moral distress, and several said they experienced it on more than one occasion. It was often related to issues around staff salaries and compensation, financial constraints, hiring limits, increased nurse-to-patient ratios to drive productivity, counterproductive relationships, and authoritative improprieties.

"For example, a physician went to someone over a CNO's head and said, 'I think you should pay a scrub tech more. She is very valuable to me," Prestia says. "And of course he was a high-admitter, high-profile physician."

The CEO approved the special compensation, creating a salary inequity among the other scrub techs.

In another scenario, six participants reported their CEOs had improper sexual relationships with staff members. Prestia points out that the CNOs did not object to these relationships because of religious or moral beliefs, but because they were harming productivity at the organization.

"In their [the CNOs'] mind' of right and wrong, these people had access to things that they should not have had access to and [those relationships] create barriers to getting the work of the organization accomplished."

Lasting Effects 
The study uncovered six significant themes related to CNO moral distress:

  1. Lacking psychological safety
  2. Feeling a sense of powerlessness
  3. Seeking to maintain moral compass
  4. Drawing strength from networking
  5. Moral residue
  6. Living with the consequences

CNOs reported they often felt very isolated during the experience of moral distress.

"If they pushed back on a decision because they felt it was in conflict with their values they were isolated within the organization and they no longer felt safe. They weren't invited to meetings. They weren't included in decision making," Sherman says.

Even though they took steps to do what they felt was right—documenting meeting minutes, reviewing policies and procedures, and referring to The Joint Commission standards—to maintain their moral compass, those efforts were often unsuccessful.

"What happened was when they were in this situation… they were beat down at every turn," Prestia says. "Then the 'flight' started to set in. 'Maybe I need to leave? Maybe I should resign? Maybe I need to start planning my exit strategy?' Or before they could do that, they were terminated."

Moral Residue
Even once they were out of the situation, many CNOs reported the experience left them with a 'moral residue.'

"It is a lingering effect of the moral distress. I liken it to a fine talc that lingers on your skin and it manifests itself either physically or emotionally," Prestia says. "We actually had several participants say, 'When I get a call about staffing now in my new job, all of a sudden I get this feeling of impending doom.'''

Both Sherman and Prestia hope this research will open up a larger conversation about CNOs and moral distress. They will present their findings at the AONE 2017 conference in March.

"What we found in the work that we did was, clearly, collegial support from a strong network is very important in building one's resiliency and being able to deal with these situations," Sherman says.

"I think that having others who've been through it is very important, which is why forums that allow people to talk about this candidly, when a CNO finds him or herself in this situation, become critical."

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Topics: moral distress, CNO, chief nursing officer, nursing stress

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