It is widely known: one of the greatest stressors RNs face is the environment in which they work—how they are treated in the workplace. We are wholly dedicated to maintaining a healthy atmosphere for our employees and patients. This means not only setting standards to establish such a setting, it also means going to great lengths to uphold those standards. Based on standards set forth by the American Association of Critical Care Nurses, we have instituted and continue to commit ourselves to these six essential components of a healthy work environment:

Communication. When we don’t communicate well, patient care is compromised. One of the ways Saint Mary’s ensures ALL staff members communicate in a way that is healthy and respectful is through our mandatory Crucial Conversations and Crucial Confrontations seminars held throughout the year.

Collaboration. No one role is more important than another. Here, we place great importance on our multidisciplinary team approach. This approach consists of integrating all caretakers—and as a result their expertise—into one collaborative unit whose focus is effective, patient-centered care. Together we are better than one.

Shared Decision Making. “You know what works best for you.” This is the underlying idea of Shared Decision Making. At Saint Mary’s, hospital leadership and frontline staff share in all vital decision making and set out to establish one plan of care that all members work toward.

Meaningful Recognition. Quit simply put, those who excel at their work are recognized for that work. We celebrate individual achievement through a variety of reward and recognition programs.

Authentic Leadership. We believe that leaders should walk the walk, as well as talk the talk. Every single person is responsible for a healthy work environment—above all, our leaders.

Appropriate Staffing. Appropriate staffing is essential to a safe work environment. We take simple, yet effective, steps to maintain this standard: 1) We match the knowledge, skills and abilities of our staff with their patients and workload. 2) We make certain our staff has a fair and reasonable workload. 3) We help prioritize the workload. 4) If necessary, leadership pitches in where help is needed.