What I’d like for Nurses Week next year, part 2

In part 1 of this two-part Very Special Episode, I let my cynic-flag fly and listed five things that I’d like to see happen on Management’s part that would make Nurses Week mean something.
The second part of any Very Special Episode is where you expect the fireworks to happen, so let’s get to them with this: a list of five systemic changes that managements all over the healthcare system could make to make Nurses’ Week obsolete!

1. Make safety a priority, and not just for the patients—for me, too. I’ve been physically assaulted at work, though not enough that I’ve lost count of the number of times. I’m lucky; my colleagues who work in emergency departments and psychiatric services have horror stories. Too often, abuse of nurses by patients or family members is written off as part of the job, especially by people whose main job is to keep Press-Ganey scores high or nasty incidents out of the papers. If I get punched, I want the support from my facility that will make it possible for me to file charges against the puncher.

Next: Enough well-looked-after support staff. →