Description/Overview: Although nurses’ education prepares them to promote the health of the patients and families they serve, too often they do not adequately care for themselves and engage in unhealthy lifestyle behaviors. Fifty-five to 65% of nurses are overweight or obese, which is associated with fatigue, sleep disturbances and physical limitations that lead to higher risks of occupational injury than non-obese employees. In addition, it has been reported that as many as 18% of nurses have elevated depressive symptoms, twice the rate of the general adult U.S population. Further, a high percentage of new graduate nurses leave their positions in the first year of employment, resulting in exorbitant costs to healthcare systems. Therefore, innovative programs are necessary to promote healthy work environments and enhance healthy lifestyle behaviors in nurses. The first paper in this symposium will describe the relationships among healthy behaviors, psychosocial variables and work stress in new graduate nurses. The second paper will highlight a new program called Nurse AthleteTM being implemented with new graduate nurses to promote their healthy lifestyle behaviors. The third paper will present tactics being taken to create a healthy work environment in a large academic medical center in the Midwest, USA. Implications for nurse leaders and managers will be highlighted throughout the symposium.

Learner Objective #1: Describe the relationships among healthy behaviors, psychosocial variables and work stress in new graduate nurses.

Learner Objective #2: Discuss components of the Nurse Athlete Program and tactics to create a healthy work environment for nurses in healthcare systems.