Nurses dedicate their careers to caring for others. They should never have to fear being threatened, assaulted or injured simply for doing their jobs.
Unfortunately, workplace violence has become one of the most serious occupational hazards facing healthcare professionals. According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), healthcare workers experience workplace violence at rates significantly higher than workers in many other industries. OSHA notes that serious workplace violence injuries occur at rates more than four times higher in healthcare than in private industry overall, and many incidents are never reported.
The American Nurses Association defines workplace violence as “any act or threat (intentional or non-intentional) of physical violence, harassment, intimidation or other threatening, disruptive behavior from any individual including care recipients, students, family members, colleagues or co-workers, and outside individuals. It includes but is not limited to verbal, physical, sexual, and psychological assaults.”
The American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) believes that physical and psychological safety are essential components of healthy work environments and that hospitals should implement evidence-based violence prevention strategies.
Safe working conditions benefit everyone. When nurses work in secure environments:
Concerned Nurses of New Jersey believes every healthcare employer should:
Creating safer hospitals protects nurses, patients and entire healthcare teams.
Tell us about the issues affecting you, your colleagues and your patients. Submissions go directly to Concerned Nurses of New Jersey.