Nurse wellness: Taking care of self as part of caring for others

In the workplace, nurses face high stress levels, hazardous chemicals, infectious disease, heavy lifting, moral distress, compassion fatigue, violence, bullying, long hours, night work, shift work, and other safety hazards. Add to this list, the normal health issues that can threaten every American, such as: obesity/overweight, lack of exercise, family/life stress, and nicotine addiction. Studies show nurses have a higher BMI than the general population and nearly 7-12% smoke cigarettes. In a recent health and safety survey, nurses report acute/chronic effects of stress and overwork as their number one health and safety concern. In response to this need, we set up a healthy nurse program. The purpose of the program is to educate nurses to take care of and improve upon their own wellness. A website, including a healthy nurse toolkit and resources, was developed and enthusiastically received. A pilot nurse wellness conference was held, creating sustainable products including journal articles and continuing education. We are now hosting a national conference on this topic. Attention to nurse wellness may result in decreased nurse turnover and increased presenteeism. Nurses are approximately one out of every one hundred Americans. Improving nurse health can have personal, professional, and public health benefits.