Home

Workplace violence

3 minutes to read this page

Table of contents

Introduction

Nurses should not have to risk their personal safety just to do their jobs of giving patients the very best care.

Yet, nurse abuse and violence against nurses is a growing problem across the nation. According to the American Nurses Associ­a­tion, 1 in 4 nurses has been assaulted at work. The likeli­hood of health care workers being exposed to violence is higher than prison guards or police officers.

We advocate for stronger workplace violence protection laws at the state level and partner with ANA on efforts to raise awareness and implement better policies at the federal level.


Legislation and policy

We work with state legislators to ensure the strongest possible protections for nurses. 
 

Recent achievement

2019 Workplace Violence in Health Care bill, which updates workplace violence provisions related to planning and training in Washington’s workplace violence in health care law.

To learn more about what’s going on at the federal level, visit the American Nurses Association’s #EndNurseAbuse page.


Research and resources

Government agencies and organizations at the state and federal levels have researched and developed best practices for addressing violence in the workplace. We’ve gathered the most useful resources to help you understand the issue, advocate for safer workplaces and protect yourselves. 
 


WSNA staff contact