ROBERT WOOD JOHNSON FOUNDATION

For Nurses, by Nurses

Health disparities. Inequities. Social determinants of health. Could it be that the change the healthcare industry desperately needs lies in the hands of those actively making decisions on the ground floor-nurses? The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) thinks so, and we set out to help the foundation give nurses the voice they deserve.

MOVING AN INDUSTRY KEEN ON STANDING STILL

Between exhaustive hours, regular life-or-death decisions and that constant I-can’t-put-out-the-fire feeling, nurses bear the weight of the world on their shoulders. Yet, with all of this pressure, nurses often lack the support they need to drive transformation in healthcare.


Our research showed that nurses needed more than hand-me-down messages from above or channels carefully monitored by HR. They needed a forum that encouraged honesty. A place that celebrated humanity. A hub that fostered trust. A platform where nurses could engage on the issues they felt were most important: Health disparities, sure. But also burnout, staffing shortages, difficult colleagues.

UNBRIDLED HONESTY. UNCENSORED HUMANITY.

BPD created SHIFT, an online community for nurses built on bone-deep authenticity.


Anchored by a podcast and supported by story-rich web and social content, SHIFT is a place where nurses gather, share, laugh, think and cry without fear or judgment. A place where nurses can wear their hearts on their sleeves and talk about the challenges they face both on and off the clock.


Because health inequities can’t be solved without collaboration, burnout can’t be addressed without understanding, and nurses can’t transform an industry without a safe space.


And that’s what SHIFT is. It’s a space for nurses to converse with peers, express their feelings, process information and receive validation – through gritty content, vivid illustrations and raw emotion.

THE END OF THE STORY? THAT'S UP TO NURSES

BPD's program centered on connecting nurses to each other, so together they could focus on their needs and ultimately lead healthcare to a better tomorrow. While RWJF and Revive planted the seed, it’s the nurses who get to define the story and shape how it’s going to end.


The podcast launched in September 2020 and since then has received:


30K+ podcast episode downloads

997K+ social media engagements

4.6M video plays

51% average email open rate (industry average = 30%)

11.26% average email CTR (2x industry average)

And the movement has just begun. Nurses are tackling big problems head-on through SHIFT. What’s next on nurses’ agenda? Social determinants of health. Hear their thoughts in season two of SHIFT Talk.

THERE IS HEARING A STORY - AND

THEN THERE IS SEEING A STORY

In April of 2022 “Who cares?” premiered, a documentary film created by BPD to support the SHIFT campaign from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. We took the campaign to a new level with the production of a documentary film focused on a nurse from North Dakota, Whitney Fear, and her fight for health equity.


Choosing to share Whitney’s struggles – as well as those of the nurses and patients she interacts with – through the lens of a documentary provides the audience with a much more meaningful 360, all-access view of this unique world. Check out the full documentary to learn more.

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