A nurse adjusts a monitor in a patient's hospital room.
A nurse adjusts a monitor in a patient's hospital room.

LEADERSHIP FOR BETTER HEALTH

Nurses are the largest segment of America’s workforce. They are face-to-face with people that need help every day. Through a range of investments in nursing-related leadership, policy, and practice, RWJF is elevating the nursing profession by enabling nurses in America to work at their greatest potential.

A nurse examining her patient with stethoscope.

Nurses Play an Essential Role in Disrupting Racism in the Healthcare System

Related News and Insights

Read expert perspectives and the latest research from RWJF to explore the opportunities and complexities of this topic.

Opinion: Dismantling racism in nursing is key to achieving health equity

Over the past three years plus, all nurses have suffered the realities of staffing shortages, poor working conditions, and continued trauma as a result of the pandemic. It’s now up to lawmakers, healthcare executives and nursing leadership to ensure that any solutions put forward are not only driven by nurses’ experiences but also explicitly address the discriminatory policies that have perpetuated unsafe working conditions and systemic racism in the profession.

Read the op-ed in Modern Healthcare
Blog Post
Mentor the next generation of nurses.

Good Things Happen When Nurses Lead

Maria Gomez, a retired nurse, says we need nurses in government, on the boards of for-profits and mentoring the next generation given their powerful role in influencing people, policies, and systems.

4-min read

Nurses and Nursing
Blog Post
A nurse talking with a student during a sports physical.

Four Reasons We Need School Nurses Now More Than Ever

With schools facing unprecedented challenges, school nurses are preparing for a demanding year.

5-min read

Nurses and Nursing Education
Blog Post
Patient's hand holding gloved hand illustration.

Nurses Can't Care for Us if We Don't Care for Them

After two years of a pandemic, nurses are more stressed and burned out than ever and too many are leaving the profession. How can we address this crisis?

4-min read

Nurses and Nursing
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Featured Initiatives

RWJF funds many initiatives in support of our vision for a Culture of Health. For this focus area, these initiatives were selected to demonstrate grantmaking that is helping us achieve the greatest impact. 

A group of students talking during a conference.

Clinical Scholars

Clinical Scholars is a leadership opportunity for practitioners from diverse fields of healthcare. Through intensive learning, mentoring, and networking, this program develops fellows across health care settings and disciplines to create leaders of transformational change.

Nurses preparing a patient for surgery.

Future of Nursing: Campaign for Action

Nurses are critical to building a Culture of Health. That is why the Future of Nursing: Campaign for Action, a joint initiative of AARP and RWJF, explores how healthier communities can be built by improving the roles, responsibilities, and education of nurses. Read about this work.

A male doctor reads a patient's chart.

MakerNurse

MakerNurse is changing the game for nurses by tapping into their natural problem-solving skills and bringing the spirit of invention, creativity, and innovation into medical settings. This RWJF-supported program ended in 2016.