AACN’s Healthy Work Environment Standards and an Empowering Nurse Advancement System

An empowering clinical nurse advancement system can facilitate institutional behaviors that embrace all of AACN’s healthy work environment.

A healthy work environment and a high-functioning nurse advancement system are inherently complementary. Both contribute to the delivery of optimal patient care by nurses. In this article, we describe the synergy between a healthy work environment and the advancement of nurses at the bedside.

The American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) has a substantial history of advocating for positive work environments in which “acute and critical care nurses can make their optimal contribution.”¹ Globally, the International Council of Nurses has launched a campaign to promote positive practice environments, recognizing their impact on employees’ well-being, productivity, retention, and outcomes.² Toward this essential end, AACN developed and published Standards for Establishing and Sustaining Healthy Work Environments.³ This document affirms that healthy work environments support and foster excellence in patient care and...