Occupational injuries and illnesses among registered nurses

Registered nurses (RNs) play a crucial role in the U.S. healthcare system, primarily by providing care and health services to patients. They may also promote public health by offering educational services, running health screenings, working with clinics, and performing a variety of additional health-related tasks. Among healthcare occupations, RNs have the highest employment number,1 commonly working in hospitals, physicians’ offices, home healthcare services, and nursing care facilities. Most nurses (61 percent) work in hospitals of various types.2 Previous research on hospitals has demonstrated that hospital workers have a higher-thanaverage incidence rate of injury and illness.3 Historically, RNs have experienced some of the highest injury and illness rates in the healthcare and social assistance sector.4