We encourage associates to carefully research how unionization might affect their work and personal life. That includes asking questions of any union organizer and of your hospital leaders. That includes questions like “can a union guarantee better pay or benefits?” and “would I have to pay dues to keep my job?”

By law, unions are allowed to make promises to associates about what they might get from negotiations if they vote in a union. While it is legal for a union to make these kinds of statements and promise employees anything, a union cannot guarantee these promises.

We suggest asking detailed questions and requesting that the union put its promises in writing.

We have established a Sustainability Council dedicated to making our hospital greener and reducing waste by promoting eco-friendly practices. Additionally, we have a Nurse Wellbeing Council focused on supporting the mental, physical, and emotional wellbeing of our staff.

Are these topics of interest to you? We would love to hear your thoughts! Please share your feedback through our Ask Us form.

The Patient Safety and Visitor Code of Conduct is a set of guidelines designed to ensure that all patients and visitors behave appropriately and maintain a safe environment within our hospital. Patients or visitors who violate our code of conduct must sign this document, confirming their commitment to adhere to the outlined rules. Any breaches of this code will result in severe consequences. For more information, please visit our Nurse Safety page.

We take pride in our history of accreditation and the awards we have earned over the years. Recently, U.S. News & World Report ranked us among the top 50 Ear, Nose, and Throat specialty programs for 2024 and 2025. Additionally, we have been recognized as a high-performing institution in five specialty services and for seven specific procedures by U.S. News & World Report, including:

• Cancer
• Gastroenterology & GI Surgery
• Geriatrics
• Orthopedics
• Urology
• Colon Cancer Surgery
• Heart Failure
• Kidney Failure
• Leukemia, Lymphoma, & Myeloma
• Lung Cancer Surgery
• Pneumonia
• Prostate Cancer Surgery

Because we are a leading hospital when it comes to supporting our nurses, this month, our nursing program received the first WellBeing Excellence™ credential awarded by the prestigious American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC). We are proud to be the only acute care health system in the Mid-Atlantic region to receive this credential and one of only five organizations globally recognized for this new distinction. This credential underscores our commitment to enhancing the wellbeing of nurses and other healthcare professionals.

May was the perfect time to receive this award, as it is Mental Health Awareness Month. At our hospital, we are vigilant in our support for mental health and wellness. Nursing is undoubtedly a rewarding profession, but the role of a caregiver can also be a challenging one. That’s why we’re constantly communicating with you about your health and wellbeing, as well as the services we offer to support your overall mental health. We encourage you to utilize the Eileen Ferrell Wellness and Relaxation Center, thoughtfully designed to support your health and wellbeing.

Nurses Week is a great time to celebrate the contributions of our nurses, but we prioritize showing our appreciation throughout the year. Here are a few ways we honor nurses: the Daisy Award, Kathleen Clifford Beard Award, Magnet Nurse of the Year Award, other recognitions and shout outs, the Eileen Ferrell Nurse Wellness and Relaxation Center, and monetary recognition for your certification, knowledge, and skills through our Clinical Advancement Program.  All of these are ways we say Thank You and recognize the hard work you do caring for our patients every day.

Absolutely! We’d love to hear from you about what you enjoyed most about this year’s celebration, and any ideas you may have for next year. Please submit your feedback or suggestions through our Ask Us form. We can’t wait to hear from you!

We first celebrated National Nurses Week from October 11–16, 1954! This special week marked the 100th anniversary of Florence Nightingale’s inspiring mission to Crimea, where she revolutionized battlefield healthcare and laid the foundation for modern nursing.

May 12 is a day filled with gratitude and appreciation, as it’s celebrated as International Nurses Day! Declared by the International Council of Nurses (ICN) in 1974, this day coincides with the birthday of Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing. It’s the perfect occasion to recognize and celebrate the dedication and compassion of our nurses.

National Nurses Week blossomed into a beloved tradition thanks to the tireless efforts of nurses and advocates! In 1990, the American Nurses Association (ANA) designated May 6–12 as an annual celebration. It all began with President Reagan declaring May 6 as National Nurses Week in 1982. Now, we have a whole week to celebrate and appreciate the fantastic work that all nurses do! We hope this week’s celebrations sincerely conveyed how much we value you, our nurses, every day!

This is a real “we heard you” moment.  Our nurses and our providers have regularly noted the clinical advantages of Epic compared to Cerner. We have been studying the options and planning for the financial investments needed for the transition, and we are so pleased to be able to begin this work now. In the coming months, there will be opportunities for many of you to participate in our transition planning and training with Epic. We love your energy and look forward to your help in making Epic the best it can be for all of us.

Yes! We have a variety of special events, themes, and treats planned to celebrate Nurses Week next week, running all week long.

One of the most exciting events is the grand opening of the Eileen Ferrell Nurse Wellness and Relaxation Center on Tuesday, May 6, at 3 p.m. This one-of-a-kind center is just for our nurses and is the perfect way to honor both Eileen Ferrell’s long legacy at MGUH and all of our dedicated and hard-working nurses. We are excited for you to see this special space created for you to relax, meditate, and socialize with your team. You can also enjoy time on the Peloton or doing yoga.

Of course, as described in the text message we sent you yesterday, there will also be recognition activities every day next week, including an ice cream social on Monday. On Tuesday, pastries in the morning, a wellness activity around noon, and the grand opening of our wellness center at 3 p.m.  On Wednesday, we will treat associates to a breakfast burrito station. Thursday will feature a special breakfast, an opportunity to relax with a virtual reality experience, and puppy therapy in the afternoon. On Friday, we will close out our week with a morning boost bar!

If you have questions, please discuss the event details and timing with your leader or check out this link: Nurses Week 2025 Events Flyer (PDF)

No, the strike did not help the parties reach an agreement.  The unionized workers in Los Angeles did not receive pay during their strike and were not eligible for unemployment benefits.

When a union calls a strike, there is a lot of pressure to participate, even when it might cause a financial hardship for individual union members.  This is why it’s especially important for unionized employees to have savings to help pay their bills and support their families on these occasions. Joining the union can bring these kinds of uncertainties and make financial management unpredictable.

Yes. MGUH began offering childcare and adult family member support benefits during COVID and has continued to offer that care today. Details for those benefits can be found at: medstartotalrewards.ehr.com.

We continuously look for ways to support our nurses. Each year, we review our benefits and strive to improve them to meet the needs of our associates. Your feedback is crucial in guiding these decisions, and we encourage you to share your needs in our MyVoice Survey every six months.

Unions often engage heavily in political activities, even when members may not support the same candidates or issues as the union. Some unions use dues revenue to make political contributions to particular candidates and causes. Others impose special assessments in addition to dues for these purposes. Unions do not require individual member consent for this, and they expect members to fund these activities. It’s important to know that many unions might not give you an option to opt out of these contributions or a vote in deciding how your money is spent.

The All Day Café, which opened in February, was developed based on feedback from associates in the myVoice Survey, in which many requested more food options, especially during evenings and overnight shifts. The All Day Café is a self-service facility that is open 24/7. We now have new specialty salads and sandwiches, along with frozen meals and snacks. Our offerings include fresh fruit, fruit cups, yogurt cups, protein bars, nuts, jerky, and more. We are always open to product suggestions, and all associates are encouraged to reach out to Jody or me with their ideas.

No. Washington, D.C., is not a right-to-work jurisdiction. If associates decide to unionize, you may be required to join and pay dues or other fees. Additionally, members must adhere to the union’s constitution and bylaws and may be subject to fines or penalties imposed by the union. If these strict rules are not followed, the union reserves the right to terminate your employment.

We recognize the hard work and challenges faced by our nurses. To better support you, we’ve established a rapid response team for immediate assistance during emergencies. We have also expanded our clinical administrator team to provide additional coverage during shifts and weekends and created part-time per diem positions. Furthermore, we have improved training and orientation programs for specialty patient populations and significantly increased the size of our float pool for extra support. Our goal is to enhance coordination and foster a collaborative team culture.

Yes. We are dedicated to supporting our nurses through various incentives and bonuses. Currently, we offer competitive pay along with a comprehensive benefits package. We have also expanded our financial assistance options for certification-related expenses to help with your education and professional growth.

Additionally, we provide referral bonuses for nurses who successfully recommend candidates who are hired. We also offer an enhanced Clinical Advancement Program (CAP) with significant financial incentives. A Clinical Nurse III receives a 5% increase in their hourly pay, while a Clinical Nurse IV benefits from an 11% increase in their hourly base wage.

We are constantly seeking new ways to incentivize and support our nurses, and these recent adjustments reflect our commitment to providing financial support for our nurses.

Decertification is a process in which employees seek to eliminate their union representation. Unionized nurses may attempt decertification, suggesting they may be dissatisfied with their union. This dissatisfaction could stem from unmet promises, a loss of flexibility, or the obligation to pay dues since becoming unionized. It’s important to understand that the decertification process is not easy; it takes time and involves specific legal steps that the nurses must follow to move forward.

We are aware that union organizers can be extremely persistent. We support Federal law that provides our associates with the right not to talk to, be bothered by, or harassed by union organizers. If an organizer continues to contact you, firmly express that you would like them to stop. If they persist during work hours, contact your manager or hospital security.

Our dress code policy requires appropriate attire for patient care—but does not restrict what you wear to and from work. While some MedStar-branded T-shirts are permitted as part of the uniform, other promotional clothing and accessories related to unions or personal opinions are not allowed while working. This includes clothing, buttons, and other wearables. However, you have other options if you wish to express your opinion about not wanting a union. This includes talking with your coworkers, campaigning against the union, telling union organizers that you are uninterested, and not signing union materials.

No.  Unions talk a lot about staffing, but they have no ability to set staffing, hire nurses or assign other caregivers to help.  Without question, MGUH supports safe staffing and values the voice of our nurses—your voice— in ensuring quality patient care.  At the end of the day, though, the responsibility for ensuring safe staffing across our hospital is the sole responsibility of the Hospital.  This is a Joint Commission and DC Health requirement.

Those of us on the units and working with patients must maintain the discretion to deploy our nurses where and when they are most needed. We are proud that our nurses have a voice in this process through regular staffing huddles and governance councils. We always do better together.

Significantly, although the union often says it can cause hospitals to hire more nurses, this is simply not true at MWHC, where the union has represented nurses for more than a decade. In fact, in the collective bargaining agreement that governs unionized nurses at MWHC, the contract reserves the right to determine staffing solely to management. The union can ask MWHC to consider bargaining about staffing, but management has no legal obligation to do so.

The numbers support that this model is successful. Our overall vacancy rate continues to decline to 11%, a significant improvement. We continue to focus on float pool resources, recruitment events coordinated with our new Talent Acquisition partnership, and agency resources as needed. Staffing challenges in healthcare are not new, and not exclusive to us here at MGUH. But what does set us apart is the culture we create that attracts, supports and retains skilled and compassionate nurses who care deeply about our patients. Read more.

Everyone should feel welcome to express their own opinion and experiences – for or against a union. We can all learn from different points of view. Sometimes, people who thought a union was a good idea have gained experiences that have changed their minds. The reasons that motivate someone to consider unionization don’t always align with the realities of being in a union. That’s why you might hear from coworkers who have worked at MWHC or others who have been unionized in the past that they wouldn’t want to do it again. We encourage you to talk with friends and family to learn more about how promises that a union organizer might make don’t always come to fruition. Many of the recent concerns we’ve heard from our nurses are not topics that could be “fixed” by a union, but they can be addressed by associates working directly with our leaders.  At MGUH, we are always on the side of our nurses, and that doesn’t change.

Yes! We support our nurses’ career development in a variety of ways, including paying for some professional education. This includes time to attend certification courses and external and internal conferences. Time is granted on a case-by-case basis, based on the assessment of unit needs by the associate’s supervisor. Nurses are eligible for eight hours per conference day with a limit of 24 hours per conference. Hours may be extended if the podium or poster presentation exceeds 24 hours or with approval of associate’s supervisor. If you have more questions about this benefit, please talk with your manager.

You have rights when it comes to union organizing, and it’s important to us that you understand those rights. We respect our associates’ rights to make free and informed decisions when it comes to unionization. If you are among the many nurses who aren’t sure a union is the best thing for MGUH, you are not alone.

Under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), you have the right to:

• Sign or not sign a union card, petition, or online form.
• Not to be bothered by union supporters while working or in patient care areas.
• Talk or not talk to a union representative if you are contacted at home.
• Tell union organizers you are not interested.
• Campaign for, or against, the union.
• Say “No.”

We understand that the parking situation can be stressful for some associates. That’s why we eliminated parking fees for associates after one of our recent associate surveys. However, this means that if you park in an area not designated for MGUH associates, you may be subject to a ticket from an entity other than the hospital. Many of you have reported receiving tickets for forgetting to display your hangtag or fines for accidentally parking in reserved spots.

We want you to know that we are listening to you and continue to explore ways to improve the parking experience for all of our associates.

Please remember, to avoid parking tickets:

• Ensure your hangtag is always visible
• Park only in designated spots
• Park only in your assigned area

If you have any questions or need further clarification, please get in touch with our Parking Administrator Lawrence McCray at 202-444-1482 or Lawrence.B.McCray@gunet.georgetown.edu.

No. MGUH consistently monitors the pay ranges at comparable regional hospitals in D.C., Maryland, and Northern Virginia to make sure we’re paying you a competitive rate. And, if we discover that we aren’t, we make adjustments. That’s why some of our nurses are getting another increase now, after the annual merit increase added just a few months ago. Our hospital has been proactively planning these adjustments for some time. In fact, we initiated discussions about the need for market adjustments after conducting a survey of associates last fall. Market adjustments are part of our compensation philosophy, which is to pay all associates fairly by maintaining a competitive salary structure for all positions.

We understand that if you don’t see immediate change, it may feel like feedback is not taken seriously. That’s not the case. Associate surveys are an investment in our workforce, and we would not prioritize this effort if our leaders didn’t pay attention to every response.

We want you to know that we carefully read all your feedback and listen to your concerns, and often this action is taken behind the scenes. Creating the new wellness center and the elimination of associate parking fees are two tangible examples of our commitment to listening to our nurses and taking action. At MGUH, we are committed to fostering real change, with our nurses’ voices being the driving factor.

These surveys also help us determine where our resources should be focused. By analyzing data from thousands of nurse responses, we identified our associates’ key concerns, including safety, health and wellbeing, burnout, and compensation. We are committed to addressing each of these concerns.

Affordable, healthy food options are essential for our associates’ wellbeing. We have approached our use of hospital space strategically, balancing the need for patient care areas with associate and visitor areas. While our facility has never been upfitted for a full cafeteria, we have creatively added retail food options over the years within the confines of our space.

We currently offer several retail food options, including Cafe Espresso on 1 Main, the Grab n Go Market on Ground Main, and the recently opened All Day Cafe on 2 CCC. The All Day Cafe particularly reflects our commitment to our associates, providing ample seating in the former surgical waiting area and creating a welcoming environment for them to enjoy their meals. We are dedicated to doing everything we can to enhance the experience of our associates within the constraints of our hospital’s footprint.