Nurses among many other healthcare personnel are at great risk for musculoskeletal injuries.

Nurses back injuries cost an estimated sixteen billion dollars annually in workers compensation benefits, medical treatment, lost work days, light duty, and employee turnover cost the industry an additional ten billion dollars(The Elephant, 2010). Risk factors include :Repetition Force (lifting, pulling) Work posture Stress

The health educators at Flowers Hospital believe that implementing a workplace wellness program could produce a healthier work environment, boost morale, increase productivity, decrease absenteeism by reducing work related injuries. The steps in the evidence-based process (EBP) were utilized to guide the team in finding the best evidence to support the hypothesis.

The studies show that employersponsored wellness strategies helped to decrease health risks, absenteeism and increase productivity.

The corporations that were sampled all encouraged wellness to improve the quality of their employees health/ lives. They kept employees motivated and encouraged a transformational friendly can do atmosphere. Lastly they all based the interventions around each individual need of the employees by conducting personal interviews which increased compliance.

The team plans to implement a Wellness 4 Life program. Participants will undergo an initial baseline screening measuring: Height, Weight, body mass index (BMI), BP, Serum Blood Glucose and Serum Cholesterol. They will be divided in teams of four working towards the same goal Overall Wellness. Diet and Exercise is strongly encouraged, as each participant must maintain a diary regarding food/water intake, and daily exercise . Ergonomics Training regarding the use of equipment and proper body mechanics will be conducted annually at an Ergonomics Fair. Every three months assessments will be repeated and compared to the baseline to see who has made the most progress.

Annual Employee Satisfaction Surveys will be conducted to evaluate overall morale and perceptions of the work environment. The team will obtain each participants on the job injury and attendance records from the previous year for analysis and comparison.

The elephant in the room: Huge rates of nursing and healthcare worker injury. (2010). Alabama Nurse, 37(3), 1-7. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/757053036?accountid=6370 .