I had the privilege of both attending and presenting at Creating Healthy Work Environments (CHWE) in 2025, an experience that was professionally affirming and meaningful.
CHWE offered an intentional space where nurses from around the world came together to examine what it truly means to create environments in which nurses can thrive. As a nurse researcher focused on occupational trauma, I felt an immediate sense of connection
with others who share a commitment to advancing nurse well-being through evidence, leadership, and advocacy. CHWE provides an energizing, action-oriented space where nurses and nurse leaders convene to move beyond dialogue and advance healthy work
environments grounded in the Sigma mission.
My presentation at CHWE shared findings from a qualitative photovoice study exploring the experiences and ongoing support needs of nurses who endured occupational trauma during and after the pandemic. The conference felt like a natural home for this work,
and the engaging and supportive audience put me at ease. CHWE’s emphasis on psychological safety, leadership accountability, and organizational responsibility aligned with the study’s findings, which highlighted the enduring impact of
organizational turmoil, personal traumatization, and nurses’ ongoing efforts toward renewal.
Because the audience began with a shared understanding that, for many nurses, the effects of the pandemic are ongoing, presenting was especially meaningful. Nurses continue to carry the psychological, emotional, and moral consequences of staffing complexities,
resource scarcity, and repeated exposure to traumatic events that are inevitable in healthcare environments. After my presentation, our discussion moved quickly beyond acknowledging the problem toward examining responsibility and action, particularly
at the organizational and leadership levels.
Attending CHWE provided invaluable opportunities for connection. Conversations during sessions and informal gatherings revealed a shared language around burnout, moral distress, and the urgent need for healthier work environments. Despite differences
in role, setting, or geography, nurses described strikingly similar challenges. These shared experiences fostered a sense of solidarity and reinforced that the issues facing nurses are not isolated problems but global concerns requiring coordinated
action and advocacy.
CHWE highlighted the role of nurse leaders as change agents. Attendees shared examples of innovative leadership practices and organizational initiatives designed to support nurse well-being. These discussions were energizing and hopeful, demonstrating
that meaningful change is possible when leaders commit to implementing evidence-based strategies and compassionate leadership when supporting nurses. The conference reinforced the importance of collaboration across disciplines, roles, and institutions
to advance healthy work environments.
What sets CHWE apart is the sense of community. The conference created space for vulnerability, reflection, and honest dialogue about difficult topics such as trauma, loss, and moral injury, while also emphasizing hope, renewal, and leadership responsibility.
I left CHWE 2025 with a renewed sense of purpose and a strengthened commitment to advancing nurse well-being through research, leadership engagement, and advocacy. This environment reflected Sigma’s mission by fostering leadership grounded in compassion,
inquiry, and action. Attending and presenting at the conference reinforced that evidence alone is not enough but that meaningful change requires nurse leaders who are willing to listen, reflect, and act. My recommendation to nurses on their way to
CHWE this year is to branch out to meet new peers around the world, engage with leaders and presenters on their research and educational pursuits, and leave with actionable goals to support a healthy environment where they work. Nurse leaders can
contribute evidence, amplify nurses’ lived experiences, and partner across disciplines and organizations to drive sustainable change that promote well-being and healthy work environments.
CHWE and my passion for supporting nurses has sustained my current work, research, and education efforts at UCLA Health in 2026. I am currently a postdoctoral fellow in the National Clinician Scholars Program at UCLA and implementing a peer support program for nurses at UCLA Health. The program is named SupportingYou and is designed to provide emotional first aid while challenging the stigma of asking for help to foster a culture where caregivers, especially nurses, can care for each other. My future goals include aiming for sustainability and expansion of the SupportingYou program while finding new and innovative evidence-based ways to provide timely support resources to nurses around the globe.
Melissa Powell, PhD, MS, RN, CPHQ, is a postdoctoral fellow in the National Clinician Scholars Program at UCLA. She is a member of Sigma’s Beta Epsilon and Delta chapters.