Renee Thompson, DNP, RN, FAONL, FAAN, CSP®
Chief Executive Officer & Founder
Why I Do This Work
I’ve done almost everything you can do as a nurse—worked at the bedside, in homecare, in managed care, as an educator, a front-line manager, and even as an executive. No matter where I worked or what title I held, one thing was constant: there was always someone who made it their mission to make my life harder. And I realized—I wasn’t alone.
Healthcare is demanding. But what makes it almost unbearable is when the people you work with create an environment of hostility, disrespect, or cruelty. During focus groups I led with students, new nurses, and frontline staff, I expected to talk about clinical concerns or professional development skills. Instead, I kept hearing the same painful stories—nurses talking about how terribly they were treated by their colleagues.
It struck a nerve. I remembered what it felt like to be treated that way. And one day, standing in front of a group of wide-eyed nursing students, I finally said the words that had been growing inside me for years: Enough is enough.
We’ve studied bullying and incivility in healthcare for decades. We’ve documented it, published shocking statistics, and shared tragic stories. But knowledge alone isn’t enough. What are we actually doing about it?
That moment changed everything for me. I left a job I loved to start a movement. I could no longer accept the idea that this was just “the way it is.” I had to do something.
That something became the Healthy Workforce Institute.
Our mission is to give healthcare leaders and their teams the tools, strategies, and support they need to end bullying and incivility—once and for all. Because when we create respectful, supportive workplaces, everyone thrives. And that’s what healthcare should be.
