Workplace discrimination among registered nurses: The role of the nurse work environment

Background: Racial discrimination in healthcare affects both patients and nurses. Purpose: This study examined whether nurses’ racial and ethnic minority status was associated with workplace discrimination and whether supportive work environments moderated these experiences. Methods: We analyzed data from the 2024 Penn Nurses4All Study (12,679 registered nurses across 872 hospitals in 10 U.S. states) linked with the American Hospital Association Annual Survey using multilevel logistic regression. Discussion: Racial and ethnic minority nurses were more likely to experience workplace discrimination compared with non-Hispanic White nurses (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 1.40; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.24–1.58). Nurses in hospitals with more supportive work environments were less likely to experience workplace discrimination (aOR = 0.48; 95% CI = 0.37–0.61). Subgroup analysis showed administrative responsiveness reduced the likelihood of discrimination by 63% for non-Hispanic Black nurses and by 30% for non-Hispanic White nurses. Conclusion: Addressing racial discrimination through strategies tailored to the needs of nurses from underrepresented backgrounds is essential for fostering well-being among nurses.