OPENING PLENARY: Healthy Work Environments: A Critical Issue in Practice and Academia

Description/Overview: A healthy work environment not only affects nurses directly, but also other staff, students, patients, and families in both the clinical and academic arenas. This panel plenary presentation will define healthy work environments from four perspectives and discuss why the topic is critical for nurses to address at this time. Important characteristics of a healthy work environment will also be shared. Panelists will discuss the biggest challenges they have encountered in creating a healthy work environment and each will share a brief scenario that illustrates experiences in their workplaces. Audience participation is encouraged and time will be available for questions from the audience.