The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA

Abstract #73962

Mary Lehman MacDonald, BA, MS and Joni Tanaciev. AFT Healthcare, American Federation of Teachers/AFL-CIO, 555 New Jersey Avenue, N.W., Washington, DC 20001

In recent national surveys, nurses give "stress" and "burnout" as the primary reasons why they are considering leaving their practices. The impending nurse shortage, with 500,000 new nurses needed by 2010, means that we must address the issues that are driving nurses from the field in order to avert a serious crisis in the near future. Changes in the work environment, such as instituting staffing ratios and making accomodations for older nurses, have been shown to improve nurse retention. The source of these changes is often due to advocacy by unions representing nurses. This workshop will describe those efforts and the results.

Learning Objectives:

• At the conclusion of session, participants will be able to:
• - identify sources of stress in current work environment for nurses;
• - Describe strategies to modify work environment in order to alleviate stress.

Keywords: Nurses, Labor-Management Relations

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.