Workplace violence – Capitol Beat

From the Bedside to the Capitol: ANA Hill Day 2026

Nurses from across the country will gather in Washington, D.C. for the American Nurses Association’s (ANA) 2026 Capitol Hill Day this month to advocate for federal nursing priorities. After a policy briefing, they will meet with lawmakers to highlight the below issues affecting nurses and patient care.

Fight for Fair Graduate Student Aid

In May, the U.S. Department of Education finalized a rule classifying post-baccalaureate nursing programs as “graduate programs”, reducing borrowing limits for nursing students to $20,500 annually and $100,000 lifetime, compared with $50,000 and $250,000 for “professional degree” students. This is especially harmful for nursing students in accelerated programs who may hit borrowing caps before finishing their degrees.

Nurse advocates will urge lawmakers to support the Nursing Is a Professional Degree Act (H.R. 8691/S. 4568) to ensure that nursing students qualify for the higher graduate loan limits and support a Congressional Review Act resolution (H. J. Res. 189/S.J.Res.196) to repeal the rule. The adoption of these policies would ensure equitable access to federal financial aid and strengthen our nursing workforce.

Protect Nurses from Workplace Violence

Workplace violence is a major threat, with 75% of the nearly 25,000 workplace assaults reported each year occurring in health care and social service settings. One in four nurses reports being assaulted in their workplace. In fact, nurses are more likely to be victims of workplace violence than police officers or prison guards. The cost to the U.S. healthcare system exceeds $151 billion per year, not including the hidden costs of trauma, burnout, and attrition that drive nurses out of the profession.

The Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act (H.R. 2531/S. 1232) would require the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to issue standards that healthcare employers would use to develop workplace violence prevention plans to protect their clinicians and patients. It would ensure that nurses and other direct-care workers help develop and implement those plans. The bill also protects nurses who report workplace violence. Nurse advocates will urge lawmakers to co-sponsor this critical legislation and take a concrete step toward ensuring nurses can care for their patients without fearing for their own safety.

Break Down Barriers Facing APRNs

Advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) now provide more than half of all primary care for Medicare patients, and decades of research demonstrate that they provide safe, high-quality care. Yet, federal law still requires unnecessary physician oversight and limits APRN practice.

The bipartisan Improving Care and Access to Nurses (ICAN) Act (H.R. 1317/S. 575) would remove outdated Medicare and Medicaid barriers that prevent APRNs from practicing to the full extent of their education and training. The measure notably does not supersede any state laws or alter APRNs’ scope of practice and has support from over 260 organizations.

ANA advocates will urge lawmakers to support the ICAN Act to expand access to quality care for patients — particularly those in rural and underserved communities — while empowering APRNs who are already proving every day that they are more than capable of meeting that need.

Invest in Nursing Education and Training

The Title VIII Nursing Workforce Development Programs are the only dedicated federal investment in nursing education, practice, and retention — yet they receive just $305.472 million compared to the $17.8 billion in mandatory federal spending directed toward graduate medical education. Last reauthorized in 2020, Title VIII programs supported more than 24,000 nurses, nursing students, and grantees in FY 2025 alone, helping to chip away at our nation’s nursing workforce shortage.

Nurse advocates will ask their lawmakers to fund the Title VIII programs at a minimum of $610 million in FY 2027, and to pass the Title VIII Nursing Workforce Reauthorization Act (H.R. 3593/S. 1874) to reauthorize the programs through FY 2030 — ensuring the pipeline of qualified nurses remains strong and that patients across the country continue to have access to high-quality care.

Call to Action

While registration for ANA’s 2026 Hill Day has closed, you can still make your voice heard. ANA is organizing a virtual day of action to coincide with Hill Day on 6/25 to amplify the message being shared by nurses on Capitol Hill.

Mark your calendars and be on the lookout for an RN Action Alert on June 25!

Standing Together for Safer Care

April is Workplace Violence Prevention Month, and across healthcare it marks a critical time to recognize an urgent issue affecting nurses and care teams every day: workplace violence. This month is about more than awareness—it is about standing together, across professions and communities, to say clearly and unequivocally that violence in healthcare is not “part of the job.” It is unacceptable, and it is preventable.

Every day, healthcare workers—nurses, physicians, physician associates, social workers, technicians, pharmacists, and countless others—show up to deliver care under increasingly complex and challenging conditions. Yet too often, they do so while facing the risk of physical assault, verbal abuse, harassment, intimidation, or other threatening behaviors. According to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, healthcare and social service workers experience workplace violence at higher rates than any other sector, a deeply troubling reality that continues to worsen.

There has been a 30% increase in workplace violence across all health care facility types between 2011 and 2021/2022.
Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illness

Workplace violence includes any act or threat of physical harm, harassment, intimidation, or other disruptive behavior that occurs at work. In healthcare settings, this violence affects not only nurses, but also physicians, physician associates, social workers, pharmacists, technicians, other support staff, patients, and families. For nurses in particular—who spend the most time at the bedside—these incidents can feel constant and exhausting. No act of aggression, whether verbal or physical, is acceptable.

Why Workplace Violence Prevention Matters to the Public

Workplace violence harms everyone. For healthcare workers, it contributes to stress, burnout, injury (physical and moral), and often workforce attrition. For patients and families, violence disrupts the healing environment and can delay care, reduce trust, and compromise safety. When health care professionals do not feel safe, the entire healthcare system suffers.

Healthcare settings should be places of healing, and respect—not fear. Normalizing violence in these settings strips dignity from care and weakens the ability to meet the needs of patients and communities. Protecting health care workers is not just a workforce issue; it is a patient safety issue.

A United, Cross‑Sector Response

What makes this moment different is the strength of collective action. National organizations representing nurses, hospitals, clinicians, patients, and advocates recently came together to affirm in a public statement that nobody should be harmed while providing or receiving care. Addressing workplace violence requires collaboration across the healthcare system and beyond—bringing together frontline workers, healthcare leaders, policymakers, and the public.

Preventing workplace violence means building comprehensive, coordinated solutions that focus on:

Establishing clear policies that prevent and respond to workplace violence
Clear reporting systems and accountability
Organizational policies that support zero tolerance for abuse
Supporting frontline workers through training, reporting systems, and resources
Promoting a culture where abuse is never tolerated or dismissed as “part of the job”
Designing care environments with safety in mind
Collaborating across disciplines and sectors to share best practices and data
Raising awareness and educating the public on the importance of zero tolerance for any workplace violence

Most importantly, it means listening to nurses and taking their experiences seriously.

A Call to Action

This April, during Workplace Violence Prevention Month, we ask nurses and members of the public alike to join us in standing up for safer healthcare environments. Urge your representatives to support the Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act today: Take Action.

Violence in healthcare is not inevitable—it is a solvable problem when we work together and commit to meaningful change.

To learn more about the nursing profession’s position on workplace violence and the actions needed to protect nurses and patients, we encourage you to read the American Nurses Association’s Workplace Violence Position Statement.

By raising awareness, supporting healthcare professionals, and advocating for comprehensive solutions, we can help ensure that everyone is protected, and every patient receives care in a safe, healing environment.

One Year Later – ANA Continues the Fight for Workplace Violence Prevention

As workplace violence (WPV) in health care continues to rise, nurses cannot wait for solutions. Last year, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) finally started work on a WPV prevention standard. According to OSHA’s own data, health care and social assistance workers now face six times the risk of WPV than all other industries. This is an increase from 2018 data which showed a risk of five times that of other industries.

Yet it has been over a year and no further progress has been made.

To urge action from the agency, ANA led a sign-on letter to OSHA from nearly 60 nursing organizations across the country last month. Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su was questioned about the lack of progress on this standard in a Congressional hearing on May 1^st of the Committee on Education and the Workforce.

During the hearing, Rep. Joe Courtney, champion of the Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act, underlined the importance of the standard’s quick release by highlighting the murder of nurse Joyce Grayson late last year. Joyce Grayson was a home health nurse killed by her patient despite many previous warnings to her employer that the patient was aggressive and dangerous. While OSHA did expedite an investigation into this case, and has cited the employer for failing to protect their employees from known hazards, it comes too late for Joyce Grayson.

Nurses need and deserve a safe workplace. This requires robust evidence-based prevention programs nurses can rely on, no matter where they work. We are extremely disappointed that OSHA continues to deprioritize this live-saving standard and will not stop advocating for nurses’ safety and for OSHA to do its job.

In addition to the regulatory work, ANA kept up the pressure and conversation on a state level through collaboration with the National Lieutenant Governor’s Association (NLGA). The NLGA represents the elected officials first in the line of succession to the governors in all 50 states and five U.S. territories. The bipartisan organization’s mission is to promote interstate cooperation and knowledge sharing as well as improve the efficiency of the office of lieutenant governor.

At the April 2024 NLGA meeting hosted by Lieutenant Governor (LG) Pamela Evette, the Executive Committee and other attending LGs unanimously approved our Consensus Resolution (updated 7/19/24) on Workplace Violence Prevention in Health Care. The resolution acknowledges the severe nature of workplace violence in health care, urging members to recognize and support programs aimed at mitigating the issues.

The consensus resolution demonstrates ANA’s commitment to addressing workplace violence through state and national advocacy and, supporting the implementation of comprehensive prevention strategies. This continued effort is vital to ensure the safety and well-being of nurses and other health care professionals.

*From left to right:* **Top Row**: LG Kim Driscoll (D-MA), LG Tahesha Way (D-NJ), LG David Zuckerman (P/D- VE), LG Stavros Anthony (R-NV), LG Sabina Matos (D-RI), LG Jeanette Nuñez (R-FL), LG Deidre Henderson (R-UT), LG Larry Rhoden (R-SD), LG Josh Tenorio (D-Guam). **Bottom Row:** Secretary of State Omar Marrero (Puerto Rico), LG Garlin Gilchrist (D-MI), LG Pamela Evette (R-SC), LG Adam Gregg (R-IA), LG Aruna Miller (D-MD), Secretary of State Chuck Gray (R-WY)

You can urge your federal legislators to support the Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Services Workers Act through our Action Center. You can also sign up for alerts on all our campaigns at RN Action and stay tuned for more work on this issue at every level of government.