Celebrating National Hospital Week: The Heartbeat of Health Care
- Linda Roszak Burton
- 2 days ago
- 4 min read
This year during National Hospital Week (May 11-17), we take time to recognize and celebrate the incredible individuals who make healing possible—nurses, physicians, therapists, administrators, environmental services teams, food service workers, IT professionals and more. Hospitals are among the most complex, high-stakes work environments in the world, and it takes a remarkable collection of people working in harmony to make them function, let alone thrive.
Most of us have seen firsthand the resilience, empathy and brilliance that health care professionals bring to their work, even in the face of immense challenges. Many of us have also witnessed the toll it takes—the chronic stress, emotional exhaustion and moral injury that can come from caring for others without adequate support for oneself.
National Hospital Week is not only a moment to show appreciation—it is a moment to invest in well-being as a strategic imperative.
Well-Being: Why it Matters Now More Than Ever
As important as evidence-based patient-centered care is, the well-being of our health care employees is both a moral responsibility and a necessity for achieving safe, quality care and organizational success. The data on this is clear:
In a study by the American Hospital Association (AHA), 93% of health care workers reported stress, 86% reported anxiety, 77% reported frustration, 76% reported exhaustion and burnout and 75% said they were overwhelmed.¹
The latest statistics from the National Academy of Medicine (NAM) in the U.S. show that 60% of medical students and residents and 61% of pharmacists have symptoms of burnout.²
A JAMA study found that burnout costs the U.S. health care system $4.6 billion a year, largely due to physician turnover and reduced work hours.³
The 2025 NSI National Health Care Retention & RN Staffing Report shows that nurse turnover is at 16%, with each bedside RN replacement costing an average of $61,110—a rise of 8.6%. This leads to annual losses between $3.9 million and $5.7 million, with each percentage point change in RN turnover affecting hospital costs by an additional $289,000. Nationally, hospital turnover is 18.3%, significantly impacting hospital margins, and the RN vacancy rate remains elevated at 9.6%.⁴
In early 2024, just 21% of employees strongly agreed that their organization cares about their overall well-being—tying a record low and remaining below that mark. However, when employees do feel cared for, they are:
4.4x more likely to be engaged
7x more likely to recommend their organization as a great place to work
73% less likely to feel burned out at work very often or always
53% less likely to be watching for or actively seeking a new job
50% more likely to be thriving in life
These findings come as overall mental health and emotional well-being in the U.S. remain at historic lows since 2020, according to Gallup.⁵
While the challenges facing health care professionals are well documented, we believe there is much to learn from those who are thriving—even amid setbacks. That’s why we turn to ethos—from the Greek meaning the distinguishing character, values and guiding beliefs of a community—to identify what is working and use it to foster well-being across all hospital employees and within the broader culture of health care institutions.
Accordant's ethos: Awakening Virtues in Health Care approach focuses on developing, teaching and implementing evidence-based practices to enhance well-being initiatives. These initiatives aim to empower individuals, strengthen medical teams and positively impact health care organizations and the communities they serve.
The Ethos of Gratitude
One of the most accessible and evidence-based ways to boost well-being in health care settings is through the regular practice of gratitude. Gratitude has been shown to increase resilience, improve sleep, lower blood pressure and reduce depression and anxiety. In health care teams, it fosters psychological safety and strengthens relationships, creating a culture of mutual respect and support.
Embedding gratitude into the core ethos of a health care organization requires visible leadership commitment. Leaders must not only endorse this value but actively model it. Building a culture of gratitude can yield positive benefits, including improved morale, higher self-esteem and an increased capacity for dealing with adversity— ultimately leading to improved staff well-being and better patient care.⁶
Build a Culture of Gratitude During and After National Hospital Week
National Hospital Week should not be an isolated feel-good moment; it should be a reflection of the culture we aspire to build year-round—a culture that recognizes the humanity of the healer, along with the needs of the patient. Here are some tips to help you get started:
Recognize with intention: Move beyond token gestures and find ways to authentically appreciate employees by tapping into research and evidence-based practice of gratitude.
Measure what matters: Track engagement, retention, well-being and burnout as core organizational metrics—not just soft outcomes.
Invest and integrate well-being initiatives into the infrastructure of the organization.
Make gratitude visible: The best way to implement new culture initiatives and programs is to go to the source—your employees—and seek their input.
Hospitals are more than buildings—they are ecosystems of healing, powered by human connection. When that connection thrives, everyone benefits: employees, patients and the bottom line.
Celebrating National Hospital Week is a great start. But what if we used this moment as a catalyst—to build a workplace where well-being is strategic, gratitude is intentional and people are valued for not just what they do, but for who they are?
That is the kind of culture that attracts and retains top talent, inspires excellence and empowers health care systems to thrive—no matter the challenge.
⁴ https://www.nsinursingsolutions.com/Documents/Library/NSI_National_Health_Care_Retention_Report.pdf
About the Author: Linda Roszak Burton BS, BBC, ACC, is a Principal Consultant and a certified executive coach and health and well-being coach with Accordant. She is the author of Gratitude Heals: A Journal for Inspiration and Guidance. Her TEDx Talk on the Power of Gratitude was released in 2022. You can reach her at Linda@AccordantHealth.com for information on her well-being coaching programs or connect with her through LinkedIn.
