This document discusses positive practice environments and their importance for nursing workforce recruitment and retention. It defines positive practice environments as those that ensure staff health, safety, well-being and support quality patient care. Unhealthy work settings can lead to increased sick time, job dissatisfaction and turnover. The document identifies six standards for positive practice environments according to AACN and notes that key factors for developing these environments include commitment, resources, leadership, resilience, partnership and collaboration. It provides examples of best practices and resources for creating positive work environments.

1. Positive practice
environments…mandate for
the global nursing workforce
Ann Marie T. Brooks
Sharon M. Weinstein
Sheila A. Ryan

2. Objectives
• Discuss impact of positive practice work
environment on recruitment and retention
• Describe the global international labor
market and effect on health outcomes
• Identify best practices in developing
intercultural workplaces

3. What are Positive Practice
Environments?
• They strive to ensure the health, safety
and personal well-being of staff, support
quality patient care and improve the
motivation, productivity and performance
of individuals and organizations (ICN)
"We shape our buildings. Thereafter, our buildings shape us."
- Winston Churchill, 1941

4. Effects of unhealthy work setting
• Increased sick time, • A disconnect between
conflict, job the work demanded of
dissatisfaction, nurses and what they
turnover, and can provide
inefficiency • In studies, 41% of
•Slower reaction hospital nurses were
times, adverse risks dissatisfied with their
•High turnover jobs and 22% planned
•Low morale to leave them in less
than one year

5. Thinking Green

6. AACN - Six Standards
• Skilled communication
• True collaboration
• Effective decision making
• Appropriate staffing
• Meaningful recognition
• Authentic leadership

7. What will it take?
• Commitment
• Resources
• Leadership
• Resilience
• Partnership
• Collaboration

8. Translating ideas into action
• Major Stakeholders * Major Beneficiaries
___________________________________________________
• Organizational leaders * Patients, families
• Nursing Leaders * Organization and its employees
• Unit Leaders * Community including nursing
• Nursing Education
• Staff Nurses
• Physicians
• Healthcare Team Members
• Other Employees

9. Positive Work Environments
• Resources for employees to do their job
• Meaningful performance evaluations
• On-going dialogue with supervisors
• Peer evaluations
• Commitment to continual improvement
• Ability to adjust and adapt to change
• Courage to challenge the system

10. Best Practices
• Evidence based
• Enriches patient care
• Interdisciplinary
• Sustainable
• Data driven
• Relevant to care model

11. WHAT SHOULD I DO?
Leaders
Focus on more on meaningful priorities and less on
activity to produce successful results
Managers
Guide employees to action to help them move through
their fear of change
Direct Care Nurses
Be a continuous learner and passionate about doing
the right things for the right reasons

12. Resources
• Weinstein, Sharon M. (2009), B is for Balance...a guide
to creating balance at home and at work, STTI,
Indianapolis, IN.
• Weinstein, Sharon M. (2010) in development. Workplace
Wellness
• http://www.aone.org/aone/about/pdfs/20082010AONEStr
atPlanFinal.pdf. American Organization of Nurse
Executives Strategic Plan
• http://www.icn.ch/PR09_07.htm. ICN Announcement;
ICN Calls for Positive Practice Environments to Ensure
Quality Patient Care