Description/Overview: Clear, critical thinking and communication are imperatives in providing quality nursing care. We are challenged more than ever before with the effect of fatigue on outcomes. What is fatigue? It is a factor that has been linked to stress, safety, and performance decrements in numerous work environments. Fatigue is a reality in nursing. Every day, during every shift, nurses experience fatigue of mind, body and spirit. Workload, work hours, work structures and other factors can indirectly or directly cause fatigue within the profession. The public expects, and deserves, professional, caring, competent, and compassionate nurses. Consistent with studies by the Canadian Nurse Association, the American Nurses Association, and the World Health Organization, nurses in all roles and practice settings have a professional responsibility to mitigate and manage their own fatigue and provide safe care. They have a professional responsibility to act in a mammer that is consistent with maintaining patient and personal safety. A growing body of evidence shows that healthy work environments yield financial benefits to organizations with respect to reductions in absenteeism, lost productivity, organizations healthcare costs, and costs arising from adverse patient outcomes. Transformational change within the organization is needed to acheive healthy, healthful and healing work environments for nurses. This presentation will address the serious issue of nurse fatigue and its negative effect on patient safety, quality, and staff satisfaction and the work environment. The speakers will share strategies that have been implemented by staff nurses and nurse leaders to minimize fatigue and ensure safe outcomes. They will highlight leading practices and offer practical strategies that have been developed by the partnership of bedside nurses with nurse leaders that can be used in heathcare organizations across the globe.

Learner Objective #1: Understand the role of fatigue in insuring safe patient outcomes.

Learner Objective #2: Describe operational strategies to address nurse fatigue with a focus on wellness strategies that sustain a stress free work environment.