Guardian Nurses Launches 'Protect Our Nurses' Campaign to Support and Defend Nurses

Image Source: Change.org

If you’ve worked a single shift in scrubs, you already know: nurses are expected to save lives, deliver babies, clean bodily fluids, teach, comfort, and oh yeah—dodge punches. Apparently, some patients think a nurse’s job description includes "human stress ball." 

But finally, someone’s saying what everyone is thinking — ENOUGH.

Guardian Nurses Healthcare Advocates just launched a powerful new campaign called "Protect Our Nurses," and honestly? It's the energy we need right now.

Led by Betty Long, MHA, RN, President and CEO of Guardian Nurses, this campaign is turning outrage into action. Long and her team are pushing for federal legislation that would make it a federal crime to assault or intimidate nurses and healthcare workers, the same way it's already illegal to assault airline crews. (Because apparently flight attendants get more respect than people starting IVs in crashing patients. Make it make sense.)

Here's Why It Matters

• Every 25 minutes, a nurse is assaulted on the job.
• Healthcare workers are five times more likely to experience workplace violence than any other industry.
• Nearly half of all nurses have been physically assaulted.
• 85% of nurses report anxiety, 60% report depression, and 81% are dealing with burnout.

Workplace violence isn’t "just part of the job"—and it’s about time we stop treating it like background noise.

What the Campaign Is Doing

Guardian Nurses is taking real steps to drive change, not just talk about it. The Protect Our Nurses campaign includes:

• A Change.org petition at ProtectOurNurses.com, demanding that Congress step up
• Digital billboards reminding people that maybe, just maybe, you shouldn't assault the person holding the meds
• A social media blitz rallying support with the message, “Nurses show up for us. It’s time we show up for them.”
• Email blasts and pop-ups to get more boots (and Crocs) on the ground

Oh, and Betty? She’s taking it all the way to Capitol Hill this June to talk directly to legislators. Because if management won’t advocate for us, we will.

How You Can Help

• Sign the petition at ProtectOurNurses.com.
• Share it with your coworkers, family, and that one friend who always asks you for free medical advice.
• Talk about it — because silence keeps things exactly the way they are.

Bottom Line

Being a nurse means juggling a million tasks, not dodging violence. Nurses don’t need thicker skin — we need stronger protections. It's time to demand better. Because "code brown" emergencies are stressful enough without also worrying about "code black eye."

Guardian Nurses is leading the charge. Let’s show them we’re ready to fight — just not literally.

🤔Nurses, did you sign the petition? Share your thoughts about the Protect Our Nurses campaign in the comments below!