The Bethesda Arrow Springs freestanding emergency department achieved zero nurse turnover for two consecutive years through intentional people-centered leadership. This outcome

Bethesda Arrow Springs Emergency Department – TriHealth

reflects a culture of transparency, safety, staff engagement and accountability. Anonymous survey feedback is reviewed, shared and used to guide improvement, reinforcing that every voice counts. Leaders model organizational values, address concerns proactively and support work-life balance by honoring vacation requests. Team-building activities strengthen connection beyond the clinical setting and promote bedside collaboration. The ED team’s shared commitment to a workplace where nurses feel valued, supported and feel a sense of belonging has helped sustain nurse retention, a challenge in emergency nursing.

The ED team advances staff safety through a comprehensive workplace violence prevention program. Key strategies include zero-tolerance signage, controlled access, panic buttons, 24/7 protective services presence and direct radio communication for rapid response. Staff complete required training in bias awareness, de-escalation and defensive tactics. A tiered triage screening tool identifies violence risk and guides timely reassessment and intervention. Incidents are documented, trended and reviewed to inform improvements. Post-event debriefing, leadership follow-up and the employee assistance program resources support staff. The department has seen 0.41 violence incidents per 100,000 patients, below the systemwide goal of 0.54.