A “Re-Imagining the Economic Value of Nursing” Summit Summary and Recommendations

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

9-2025

Publisher

Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Inc.

Source Publication

Journal of Nursing Administration

Source ISSN

0002-0443

Original Item ID

DOI: 10.1097/NNA.0000000000001611

Abstract

In April 2024, the ANA Enterprise sponsored a “Re-imagining the Economic Value of Nursing” Summit to move the conversation forward on recognizing and leveraging the economic value of nursing within organizations across the US healthcare system. Invited participants engaged in a spirited dialogue about reconceptualizing nurses as critical assets in generating value within the production and financial dynamics of contemporary healthcare systems. This article summarizes the discussion and recommendations emerging from the summit.

In healthcare organizations and systems, nurse executives are the bridge between the production of patient care by the nursing workforce and the organizational financial performance. Historically, nursing has been viewed as costly labor. In this article, the authors reconceptualize nursing as a human capital asset that drives a cycle of value generation in terms of patient care quality, volume, production costs, and positive organizational financial performance. Understanding this new paradigm and communicating the economic value of nursing to nurses themselves and to organizational leaders are critical 1st steps in positioning, sustaining, and growing the impact of nursing on consumer and organizational outcomes. This article reports the findings of the “Re-imagining the Economic Value of Nursing” Summit, which served as a launching point for this effort. Forthcoming articles will discuss optimization and measurement of the nursing human capital value cycle.

Comments

Journal of Nursing Administration, Vol. 55 No. 8 (September 2025): 465-471. DOI.

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