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Healthy Work Environments
by ANNA President JoAnne Gilmore
Healthy
work environments for nurses are crucial to both nursing job
satisfaction as well as to patient outcomes; but, when we speak of
healthy work environments, what do we mean?
One
organization that has contributed greatly to defining, creating, and
sustaining healthy work environments is the American Association of
Critical-Care Nurses (AACN). After much research and discussion, AACN
(2005) published national standards for establishing and sustaining
healthy work environments in January 2005. These six (6) essential
standards support and complement the findings of a growing body of
research and the recommendations of a number of organizations,
including the American Nurses Association (ANA), which included the
need for safe and respectful environments in the ANA Code of Ethics
(ANA, 2001); and the Institute of Medicine, which has described core
competencies for healthcare professionals and supported the education
of all health professionals to deliver patient-centered care as members
of an interdisciplinary team emphasizing evidence-based practice,
quality improvement approaches, and informatics (Greiner & Knebel,
2004; IOM, 2001).
AACN Healthy Work Environment Standards
- Skilled Communication - Nurses must be as proficient in communication skills as they are in clinical skills.
- True Collaboration - Nurses must be relentless in pursuing and fostering true collaboration.
- Effective
Decision Making - Nurses must be valued and committed partners in
making policy, directing and evaluating clinical care, and leading
organizational operations.
- Appropriate
Staffing - Staffing must ensure the effective match between patient
needs and nurse competencies. Of particular note under this standard is
the opinion that staffing ratios are not endorsed due to the variances
in patient needs and acuity.
- Meaningful
Recognition - Nurses must be recognized and must recognize others for
the value each brings to the work of the organization.
- Authentic
Leadership - Nurse leaders must fully embrace the imperative of a
healthy work environment, authentically live it and engage others in
its achievement (AACN, 2005).
Standards Endorsed by ANNA
These
standards can be used as a foundation for other organizations to build
upon when discussing work environment realities. On December 7, 2006,
the ANNA Board of Directors voted to endorse these AACN Standards.
I encourage you and all members of your organization to become familiar
with the details of the standards as well as their critical elements,
to assess how your organization is performing with respect to the
standards, and to implement strategies to assure that the standards are
always met. It takes a whole healthcare organization working together
to create a healthy work environment.
Become an ANNA Leader
There are numerous volunteer leadership roles within ANNA. It is time
to feel the passion and to build on your leadership traits and become a
leader within ANNA, your workplace, and your community. Look for more
information on the exciting new ANNAConnections program in the ANNA
Update and on our website, www.annanurse.org.
JoAnne Gilmore, BSN, RN, CNN
ANNA President
References
American
Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN). (2005). AACN standards for
establishing and sustaining healthy work environments. Aliso Viejo, CA:
Author.
American Nurses Association (ANA). (2001). Code of ethics for nurses with interpretive statements. Washington, DC: Author.
Greiner,
A.C., & Knebel, E. (Eds.) (2004) Health professions education: A
bridge to quality. Washington DC: National Academies Press.
Institute
of Medicine (IOM). (2001). Crossing the quality chasm: A new health
system for the 21st century. Washington, DC: National Academies Press.
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