Vermont nurses press committee for statewide workplace-violence prevention law, seek CON exemptions

Nurses and advanced-practice clinicians told an unnamed legislative committee on Oct. 12 they want a statewide workplace-violence prevention law that sets minimum security, training and clinician-support standards and that removes barriers to rapid facility upgrades.

Liz Kudo, an emergency nurse of 17 years and director at large and governmental affairs committee chair for the Emergency Nurses Association, told the committee that workplace violence is driving nurses from the bedside. “I make more money bartending 2 days a week than I do as a full time nurse,” Kudo said, arguing that weak workplace protections and low effective compensation contribute to recruitment and retention problems. She described incidents and facility responses that were often retroactive to assaults, not preventive.