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

Hyunmin Yu; Celsea Tibbitt; Christin Iroegbu; Eileen T Lake; Ann Kutney-Lee; J Margo Brooks Carthon; Jessica G Smith; Jeannette Rogowski; Matthew D McHugh

doi:10.1016/j.outlook.2026.102695

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

Nurs Outlook. 2026 Feb 6;74(2):102695. doi: 10.1016/j.outlook.2026.102695. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Hyunmin Yu¹, Celsea Tibbitt², Christin Iroegbu³, Eileen T Lake², Ann Kutney-Lee⁴, J Margo Brooks Carthon², Jessica G Smith⁵, Jeannette Rogowski⁶, Matthew D McHugh²

Affiliations

¹ Center for Health Outcomes and Policy Research, School of Nursing, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA; Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA. Electronic address: hyuy@nursing.upenn.edu.
² Center for Health Outcomes and Policy Research, School of Nursing, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA; Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA.
³ Towson University, Towson, MD.
⁴ Center for Health Outcomes and Policy Research, School of Nursing, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA; Corporal Michael J. Crescenz VA Medical Center, Philadelphia, PA.
⁵ University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX.
⁶ Rutgers School of Public Health, New Brunswick, NJ.

PMID: 41653547
DOI: 10.1016/j.outlook.2026.102695

Abstract

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.

Keywords: Health equity; Hospitals; Nurse work environment; Racial and ethnic minority nurses; Racism; Workplace discrimination.