Focus on Nurse Safety and Well-Being: Recognizing and Supporting Nurses Through Nurses Week and Beyond

Editor’s note: This article originally appeared in The Source. Perfect for health care leaders and frontline staff, The Source is your authoritative digital resource for accreditation and certification compliance strategies. Subscribe to The Source.

By Ken Grubbs DNP, MBA, RN , Executive Vice President for Accreditation and Certification Operations and Chief Nursing Officer, The Joint Commission

As a registered nurse and the Executive Vice President and Chief Nursing Officer of The Joint Commission, I agree that nurses are the backbone and heart of the health care industry. Nursing is the most trusted profession in the United States; according to Gallup’s 2023 Honesty and Ethics poll, 78% of Americans rank the honesty and ethics of nurses as “very high” or “high.” In fact, nursing has topped the list of most ethical professions for 22 consecutive years! At the same time, it is a highly challenging profession that has grown harder than ever in our postpandemic world, and a large percentage of nurses are experiencing burnout and reduced job satisfaction.1

To complicate matters, we are facing a nursing shortage. According to one source, the United States will experience a shortage of registered nurses through 2030. These projections take into account growth in the registered nurse workforce while also anticipating retirements and other exits from the profession.

According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, health care workers accounted for 73% of all nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses due to violence in 2018. This number has been steadily increasing since 2011. The World Health Organization estimates that up to 38% of all health workers suffer physical violence at some point in their careers. These staggering statistics make it clear that organizations need to take action to safeguard frontline health care workers such as nurses from workplace violence. We commend those who have prioritized the physical safety of their patients and staff members by using Joint Commission standards to establish unequivocal patient and employee rights for a safe and respectful environment.

Although we face many challenges, as a fellow nurse I want to highlight how important our profession is in the delivery of safer, higher-quality, and more equitable care for all people across all settings. To the nurses out there reading this article, I want to emphasize that we hear you. The Joint Commission understands your need for unambiguous standards that do not add burden in care delivery and that enable you to provide excellent patient care in a safe and respectful environment. We extend our gratitude and admiration for the care you deliver each and every day for the patients served.

To health care leaders: We are committed to working with you to identify evidence-based, real-world solutions to the challenges facing our profession in particular and health care as a whole. The bottom line is that if nurses, and the health care workforce, aren’t safe and well, patients cannot be safe and well. To that end, we have reestablished the Chief Nurse Executive Council, which provides input on issues affecting nursing. This council represents diverse organizations and will serve in representing the voice of nursing as we solve for real-world challenges facing health care.

Furthermore, in recognition and support of the American Nurses Association’s Nurses Week, which runs from May 6 through May 12, The Source is kicking off a new article series dedicated to supporting nurse safety and well-being and identifying evidence-based strategies for improving culture of safety, staff well-being, and nurse retention. This bimonthly series, titled “Focus on Nurse Safety and Well-Being,” will discuss the ways in which health care organizations and nurse leaders can support nurses year-round—not just during Nurses Week.

Articles will offer best practices for nurse safety and well-being. Although pizza parties, yoga, meditation rooms, and Nurses Week celebrations are all good for morale, nurses need and deserve additional focus on their safety and well-being. Topics will include the following:

• How Joint Commission standards, initiatives, and activities support nurse safety and well-being
• The responsibilities of health care leaders in promoting a healthy work environment
• The connection between strong safety culture and nurse well-being
• The importance of C-suite recognition and support for nurses
• The “why” behind nurse burnout and poor well-being and how to find valuable, realistic interventions and solutions
• Stories from organizations that have implemented successful programs that led to a measurable improvement in nurse safety and well-being

The Joint Commission employs approximately 365 nurses enterprise-wide. They serve as surveyors and reviewers for our accreditation and certification programs, participate in standards development and interpretation, and are key to safety and improvement initiatives. In fact, many of our nurses still practice. We understand that nurses are on the front line when it comes to patient safety, and we are committed to helping to ensure their well-being. Although we do not have all the answers—particularly because there is no one solution that fits all health care organizations—I hope that this series can help leaders understand and address the challenges nurses face in their organizations. The first article will appear in the June 2024 issue of The Source. In closing, on behalf of The Joint Commission, thank you! Thank you for the great work you do each and every day in providing care to patients and the communities you serve.

1. Galanis P, et al. Increased job burnout and reduced job satisfaction for nurses compared to other healthcare workers after the COVID-19 pandemic. Nurs Rep. 2023 Aug 14;13(3):1090–1100.