Literature Review

7 strategies to reduce workplace incivility, bullying in hospitals Becker's Hospital Review; by Kristin Kuchno; 6/6/25 Workplace incivility and bullying have persisted in healthcare since their uptick during the COVID-19 pandemic. As the healthcare landscape continues to evolve, so do the challenges teams face, according to Brian Reed, vice president and chief human resources officer for Indianapolis-based Indiana University Health’s east region. ... Here are seven strategies to reduce workplace incivility among healthcare teams:

State of the nursing workforce: 14 trends to know Becker's Clinical Leadership; by Mariah Taylor; 5/14/25 In 2025, the nursing workforce has stabilized compared to prepandemic numbers and is expected to grow. However, there are still several nursing challenges systems are facing. Here are 14 trends to know about the nursing workforce in 2025:

Roughly 40 percent of nurses plan to leave profession within 5 years, survey finds McKnights Home Care; by Adam Healy; 5/13/25 The nursing workforce today is more stable than it was during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, but a significant share of nurses still plan to leave the profession behind in the next five years, according to the 2024 National Nursing Workforce Survey published in the Journal of Nursing Regulation. ... Approximately 40% of RNs, LPNs and LVNs surveyed said that they planned to leave nursing sometime in the next five years. In 2022, roughly 26% of nurses said the same. The most common reasons nurses cited for wanting to leave their jobs included retirement, stress or burnout, workloads and pressures caused by understaffing, the report noted.

Experiences of hospice staff beyond the frontlines during COVID-19: A qualitative secondary analysis study Journal of Palliative Care and Social Practice; by Thanga Harini Sundaramoorthy, John I MacArtney, Abi Eccles; 4/12/25Three main themes were identified: (1) Blurred margins: Participants discussed facing difficulty separating work and home life and taking stresses and thoughts about work home. (2) Isolation, loneliness and social interactions ...  (3) Disruption to family and personal commitments: Some staff felt unable to see or support their parents, partners and children during the pandemic subsequently impacting their psychological and emotional well-being. Conclusion: Hospice staff compromised aspects of their personal life and family responsibilities during the pandemic to carry out their role at work. Workplaces and organisations should aim to support hospice staff more broadly to help with managing work-related pressures and balancing personal commitments in future emergency periods.Editor's note: Use this evidence-based research with your Emergency Disaster Preparedness Plans. Click here for the CMS.gov Emergency Preparedness Rule. Click here for Wisconsin's CMS Emergency Preparedness Rule Toolkit: Hospices.

From heroes to burnout: How we failed our frontline health workers MedPage Today's KevinMD.com, and excerpt from Health Care Nation; by Tom Lawry; 3/15/25 Of all the lessons learned from fighting a pandemic, none was more frightening or important than discovering how dependent the system is on how we treat our doctors, nurses, and frontline caregivers.  They were already in short supply, with burnout on the rise, when the pandemic hit. As multiple waves of COVID-19 variants washed over us, frontline health workers stepped in at great risk and personal sacrifice to care for highly infectious patients. ... Some witnessed more deaths on a double shift than they did in a normal year. They delivered the bad news to families and managed end-of-life care. They were often the last face and warm voice a COVID-19 victim saw and heard. In the end, they not only saved lives but saved the system from total collapse. ... We called them heroes. And we promised to do better in how we treated them once the COVID-19 crisis passed. Promises made should be promises kept. While we continue to talk about workforce burnout using polite terms with concern in our voices, let us be clear: A system with a mission of healing continues to harm in record numbers the very people in short supply who are there to take care of the rest of us. ... [Click on the title's link for more.]

Nurse leaders can take the lead in promoting civility in the workplace Oncology Nurse Advisor; by Susan Rux, PhD, DNP, RN, FACHE; 2/28/25 Civility, the act of respecting others, especially in situations where disagreement or disparity may arise, occurs by intentionally displaying kindness and empathy. These behaviors help people to understand differences as well as uphold common ground across all social contexts. A stable foundation, afforded through civil actions, serves as a catalyst in achieving environments that promote diversity, equity, and inclusivity — the underpinnings of a culture of belonging. Nurse leaders can play a key role in creating this culture. Contrary to civility, in the healthcare setting, acts of incivility lead to increased levels of staff disengagement and turnover. Researchers have noted that a civil nursing workplace provides a safeguard against numerous professional issues, including but not limited to increased turnover rates, burnout, job dissatisfaction, and stress.

Relaxing licensing, training requirements during pandemic didn’t improve nursing home staffing: study McKnights Long-Term Care News; by Zee Johnson; 2/24/25 A new study of more than 15,000 nursing homes found no link between relaxed certified nurse aide training and licensing protocols during the pandemic and improved staffing levels. During COVID-19, 19 states loosened their training requirements (the “treatment” group), and 31 states did not (“control” group). However, both recorded nearly the same CNA hours per resident per day, according to the study by researchers at the University of Iowa. ... During the pandemic, direct caregivers were at extreme risk for contracting the deadly virus, which killed more than 200,000 nursing home residents and workers. But more often than not, they were left without basic benefits such as paid sick leave, Mehboob said. 

Who cares for the caregivers? The push for laws to protect nurses’ mental health Medscape; by Jodi Helmer; 2/5/25 ... More than 67% of nurses reported feeling depressed or anxious, and two thirds said they were not receiving mental health support. Nurses cite lack of time and financial resources among the reasons for not seeking treatment, but fears about losing their jobs and the impact on their nursing licenses were also top issues. ... Registered nurses (RN) and advanced practice RN (APRNs) can be required to answer invasive questions about their mental health as part of their state licensure and advanced credentialing applications. The questions can be stigmatizing and could require nurses to submit letters from their healthcare providers addressing their mental health status. ... There is a movement to urge licensing and credentialing organizations to remove invasive and stigmatizing mental health questions from their applications. The National Council of State Boards of Nursing is working on national recommendations ...

‘Severe understaffing and sharp cuts’: 2,000 health care workers to picket Providence on Wednesday Euraka Times-Standard, Eureka, CA; by Robert Schaulis; 2/11/25 More than 2,000 health care workers will picket Providence hospitals and health care facilities throughout Northern California this Wednesday. The day of action will take place across six sites throughout the region — four hospitals and two hospices across Humboldt, Napa and Sonoma counties — including Providence St. Joseph Hospital in Eureka. More than 2,000 health care workers represented by the National Union of Healthcare Workers have elected to picket, citing “severe understaffing and sharp cuts to health services in communities that are dependent on Providence for their medical care.” ... Layoffs have also resulted in increased caseloads in areas like Sonoma County, where Providence has laid off hospice workers.

How can we cultivate happiness in medicine? The Hospitalist; by Nikhil Sood, MD and Marjorie Bessel, MD; 2/3/25 Burnout has led to early physician retirements and clinicians leaving the profession, resulting in an unprecedented physician shortage and access challenges. This jeopardizes our ability to meet the community’s needs and fulfill our mission of making healthcare more accessible to improve quality of life. The question is, how can we, as a healthcare system, tackle this issue head-on? ... The CHIM strategy is a comprehensive, evidence-based approach, driven by clinicians, that supports wellness from an individual and organizational perspective. ... The six dimensions of the strategy include the following:

How to build a company culture that sticks HR Brew; by Mikaela Cohen; 1/30/25 Figuring out how to craft a company culture can sometimes feel like figuring out what to eat for dinner. What you have isn’t working ...,  creating something from scratch is a lot of work ..., so you end up going with the quick-and-easy fix ... Perhaps there’s a better solution for HR pros trying to build a company culture that sticks with employees ... HR leaders from SiriusXM, Fanatics, Aveanna Healthcare, and DailyPay shared their strategies for creating a strong company culture, especially during times of change and uncertainty.

Maine communities struggle with nurse practitioner shortage NBC News Center Maine; by Brianna Bush; 1/29/25 According to U.S. News & World Report, nurse practitioner is the No.1 ranked job for 2025. The study says that's because of work-life balance, high pay, and job growth potential. Despite this, communities in Maine are lacking enough nurse practioners to support patients. ... According to the Maine Nurse Practitioner Association, there are more than 3,100 nurse practitioners in Maine.