Caring for the Carers: A Call to End Violence in Healthcare

Healthcare workers enter the profession with purpose, compassion, and a drive to heal—but too often, we are met with workplace violence (WPV). Nurses and other frontline staff are five times more likely to be injured on the job than workers in other fields, yet incidents remain underreported and inadequately addressed. Drawing on both lived experience and existing literature, this paper highlights the profound personal, professional, and systemic consequences of WPV. Evidence shows that while tools exist to assess patient violence risk, few mechanisms support the staff who endure it. Survivors are frequently met with silence, blame, or institutional gaslighting instead of trauma-informed support. I share my own experience as a psychiatric nurse practitioner and advocate alongside data demonstrating the human and economic costs of WPV, including burnout, turnover, and billions in financial losses. Real change requires believing healthcare workers when they report violence, providing trauma-informed interventions, and enacting policies that ensure accountability and safety. Preventing violence and supporting staff is not optional—it is essential for sustaining a healthy workforce and safe, high-quality patient care.