The Organization of Nurse Leaders of NJ (ONL NJ) hosted 140 nurses for a unique and innovative program on how to design a healthy work environment while simultaneously addressing nurse staffing.
ONL NJ held the event in collaboration with the New Jersey State Nurses Association, the NJ Council of Magnet Organizations, the N.J. Council of Deans and Directors and the NJ Nursing Leadership Council. This pilot program was initiated to establish Nursing Workforce Environment Staffing Councils (NWESC), or staffing committees, which include clinical nurses and nurse managers/leaders.
The NWESCs were launched today with chief nursing officers from the respective pilot hospitals leading discussions on the overview of the pilot program, fundamentals of a healthy work environment, NWESC structure, legislation on mandated staffing and one hospital’s journey to excellence in achieving a healthy work environment. Theses discussions were followed by a panel of nurse leaders reflecting on their experiences and thoughts of how a healthy work environment could positively impact their organizations.
The launch of this pilot program will be followed by four education sessions in 2018, with curricula based upon the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses Standards for Establishing and Sustaining Healthy Work Environments, which include:
- Skilled Communication
- True Collaboration
- Effective Decision Making
- Appropriate Staffing
- Meaningful Recognition, and
- Authentic Leadership.
For more information, contact Susan Cholewka, executive director of ONL NJ, at scholewka@njha.com.
