Nursing Work Environment Staffing Councils: An Alternative to Mandatory Regulated Staffing Ratios.

Objective: The aim of this study was to examine the self-reported perceptions of the healthy work environment (HWE) of nurses who are members of Nursing Workplace Environment and Staffing Councils (NWESCs).

Background: In a statewide initiative, NWESCs were established at hospitals throughout the state of New Jersey as an alternative to nurse staffing ratio laws and to provide clinical nurses a voice in determining resources needed for patient care and support an HWE.

Methods: This quantitative descriptive study presents the results of the Healthy Workplace Environment Assessment Tool (HWEAT) and open-ended questions about NWESCs among a sample of 352 nurses.

Your final assessment: determination of death.

After a long illness, a patient with a do-not-resuscitate (DNR) order took his last breath while surrounded by family at his hospital bed. His oncology nurse came into the room immediately to answer questions and offer support. She then explained that the house physician would come to pronounce their father.