Dear Team,
We did it! Thank you to everyone who helped support the opening of our new hospital in Bryant, and welcome to our new colleagues. We look forward to getting to know you!
We have so much to celebrate, and a lot of great things are happening at UAMS right now. I don’t want to detract from these, but I feel like I need to touch on a heavy subject this month — workplace violence in healthcare.
This topic is very hard to address, and institutions across the country are facing significant challenges in protecting their healthcare workforce. I want to reassure you that UAMS is working to enhance the resources dedicated to this issue, and you have our unwavering commitment to continuing to improve your safety.
According to data from Press Ganey, an average of two nurses are assaulted every single hour in the United States. Unfortunately, the actual numbers are likely much higher due to underreporting. The American Hospital Association notes that 68% of nurses have faced verbal abuse, and a staggering 44% have experienced physical violence.
I refuse to accept that violence, threats, and harassment are “part of the job” for nurses. It hasn’t always been this way, and, while we can’t turn back time, we can and should work together to prioritize staff safety.
At our core, we are here to provide compassionate, high-quality care for our patients. We all know it’s impossible to provide this intentional, healing care if you are worried about your own safety.
Please know that UAMS stands firmly committed to a zero-tolerance policy against violence from patients, visitors, and staff. UAMS CARES applies to employee care as well as patient care. UAMS is committed to the principles of Compassion, Attention, Respect, Empathy, and Service for all employees. Leadership is aligned across all levels of the organization to act immediately and decisively to keep everyone at UAMS safe.
We are incredibly fortunate to have robust teams dedicated to protecting you:
- The Department of Public Safety includes our own UAMS law enforcement and security officers who are on the ground and trained to appropriately intervene when you need them.
- The Workplace Violence Response Team is made up of professionals who focus on improving your safety through risk mitigation, safety strategies, and providing response support and preventive training.
- Our Clinical Workplace Violence Prevention Committee brings together passionate voices from all levels of our organization, including direct patient care nurses, to make sure frontline realities drive our safety initiatives.
These efforts work best when we stay connected — we can’t fix what we don’t know about. Please report incidents so we can truly understand where to direct our focus and resources. Information from you helps us advocate and protect more effectively.
We also need a complete and clear understanding of your personal perceptions and needs. Later this month, UAMS Health employees will receive a workplace violence survey. Please share your honest opinions and experiences so we can address these issues with appropriate resources and responses.
Please watch for the survey link in the coming weeks and take a few minutes to share your perspective.
In addition to institutional efforts to address workplace violence, here are some ways you can help protect yourself and your team:
- Look out for one another: Keep an eye out for escalating behavior in patient rooms and common areas. Don’t hesitate to step in or call for back-up if you feel a colleague’s safety is compromised.
- Report Incidents in the Press Ganey reporting database: Use this reporting site to document instances of verbal threats, physical aggression, and other behaviors that make you feel unsafe. When appropriate, this reporting tool also initiates FYI flags in EPIC so other members of the care team can see patient-specific information that is not clinically relevant but still important to know. This reporting database is an important tool for capturing the inappropriate behaviors you are dealing with. This data helps us target resources to the appropriate area.
- Recognize warning signs: Watch for early signs of frustration (pacing, clenched fists, or a raised voice) or confusion in patients and visitors so we provide early interventions.
- Participate in training: Join our upcoming violence prevention and de-escalation training sessions to learn how our team approach can help you and your coworkers handle difficult situations.
Together, we can help make your work environment safer for everyone.
Thank you for your dedication, your resilience, and everything you do for our patients and each other.
I am so proud to stand with you!
Tammy
Tammy Jones, PHD, RN, NE-BC
Chief Nursing Officer
Associate Vice Chancellor for Patient Care Services & Clinical Operations
Perioperative, Interventional & Imaging Services Division