New Jersey has had a long history of proposed legislative issues regarding mandated nurse to patient standards. Seven years ago, the ONL NJ Advocacy Committee established the Nursing Workplace Environment Commission as a holistic approach to improve the work environment for the nurse at the bedside beyond staffing ratios. A blueprint for an overarching structure that provides oversight, education, communication, research and publication of healthy work environments action and results evolved. The Nursing Workplace Environment and Staffing Council (NWESC) was born.

The NWESC Vision is "New Jersey nurses will be recognized as the leaders in creating and sustaining a healthy work environment for its workforce through an overarching formal structure and process that supports collaborative learning and practice." The NWESC Mission Statement is "to engage nurses in promoting and sustaining a healthy workforce and environment." The maiden cohort of NWESC was launched in October 2017. The ninth cohort is scheduled to begin in October 2024. NWESC has grown from nine pilot hospitals to 48 hospitals in NJ.

Please join us for the fourth annual NWESC Statewide Retreat as we gather to celebrate this worthy effort, share accomplishments, best practices, lessons learned, challenges and future directions. This is a unique opportunity to network with other NWESC members from across the state.

Learner Outcome:

After successfully completing the course, the learner will have a deeper knowledge and understanding of their role in achieving and sustaining a healthy work environment and will self-report an increase in self-confidence on a Likert Scale of (1-5) in adopting at least two strategies that will allow them to achieve and sustain a healthy work environment.

Eighty percent of the learners will report that they will have the knowledge and confidence on a Likert Scale of (1-5), in adopting at least two strategies that will assist them in achieving and sustaining a healthy work environment.

Successful completion of the education program is defined as attendance for 100 percent of the learning session and a completed course evaluation.

Target Audience:

Nurse managers, nursing coordinators, assistant nurse managers, staff nurses, chief nursing officers, vice presidents of patient care, assistant vice presidents of nursing, administrative directors, directors of nursing, administrative (house) supervisors, new ONLNJ mentors and mentees, Nursing Workforce Environment Staffing Council (NWESC) members, university deans, nurse educators, nurse researchers and post-acute leaders, nursing home administrators and assistant living administrators.

Continuing Nursing Education Credits:

This nursing continuing professional development activity was approved by the American Association of Critical Care Nurses, and accredited approver by the American Nurses Credentialing Center's Commission on Accreditation. Approval refers to recognition of continuing education only and does not imply AACN or ANCC approval or endorsement of the content of this educational activity.