Healthcare Workers by the Numbers: How Different Demographics View Workplace Violence

When a workplace violence incident occurs, it can impact an entire organization. However, certain groups of healthcare workers have a higher risk of becoming victims of workplace violence

According to The State of Healthcare Worker Safety, a 2025 survey published by Verkada and The Harris Poll that surveyed healthcare workers in 2025, 54 percent of workers have felt threatened by patients or visitors while on the job, with younger workers experiencing or witnessing more violence compared to older colleagues.

Demographics by Job Function

Because nurses usually have more direct contact and spend more time with patients, they have a higher likelihood of being subjected to violence in the workplace compared to physicians, according to the 2025 survey.

• Verbal harassment by patients:
  • Nurses – 91 percent
  • Physicians – 80 percent
    
    
• Aggressive behavior from patients:
  • Nurses – 87 percent
  • Physicians – 73 percent
    
    
• Physical assault by patients:
  • Nurses – 60 percent
  • Physicians – 29 percent
    
    

But the additional exposure to patients and visitors gives nurses an opportunity and insight that security often lacks.

“I think because nurse leaders are physically in the rooms with the patient and security is not, they’re hearing the conversations,” says Claire Zengerle, CEO of the American Organization for Nursing Leadership. “…I think nurses have the opportunity to raise a red flag,” at which point they can call for security to join them in a room and provide additional support if needed.

“The collaboration between security and caregivers is really important,” Zengerle says. “…It’s important to understand that security is not the job of one or the other, it’s both of them as a team because security personnel can’t be everywhere and the nurse can’t be everywhere. …I can tell you, I graduated from nursing school in 1991, and we never talked about this.”

Demographics by Age

In recent years, healthcare workers have been encouraged to acknowledge and report instances of workplace violence, with the goal of working to create safer workspaces. Medical facility administrators understand that safer workspaces can help in retaining talent and recruiting fresh faces. According to a Mercer report, Future of U.S. Healthcare Industry: Labor Market Projections by 2028, the United States will be dealing with a shortage of 100,000 healthcare workers by 2028 due to a combination of those reaching retirement and worker burnout, with New York alone dealing with a shortage of about 61,000 workers.

“While that figure may not seem like a crisis in absolute terms, it represents an added burden to a system strained by geographic and demographic disparities in access to care,” the Mercer report said.

According to the Verkada-Harris Poll survey, younger workers have experienced or witnessed violence more than older colleagues.

• Exposure to verbal harassment while working:
  • Generation Z (those born between 1997 and 2012) – 94 percent
  • Millennials (born between 1981 and 1996) – 88 percent
  • Generation X (born between 1965 and 1980) – 82 percent
  • Baby Boomers (born between 1946 and 1964) – 67 percent
    
    
• Exposure to physical assault while working:
  • Generation Z – 60 percent
  • Millennials – 49 percent
  • Generation X – 35 percent
  • Baby Boomers – 19 percent
    
    

A failure to deliver secure spaces within healthcare will be a detriment to its workforce, according to The State of Healthcare Worker Safety.

“Nearly two in five healthcare workers have considered leaving their positions due to safety concerns,” the survey found.

• Concerns about personal safety in healthcare have deterred people from joining the industry:
  • 80 percent of Generation Z healthcare workers agree
  • 55 percent of Millennials agree
  • 45 percent of Generation X agree
  • 35 percent of Baby Boomers agree
    
    
• Healthcare workers who are looking for new jobs due to personal safety concerns:
  • 29 percent of Generation Z healthcare workers
  • 19 percent of Millennials
  • 16 percent of Generation X
  • 9 percent of Baby Boomers
    
    

“Zooming in closer, the data reveals that the cohorts of workers that healthcare needs most—women, who comprise the majority of nurses, and Gen Z, who represent the future workforce—are most likely to view healthcare as too dangerous, reporting in higher amounts that personal safety concerns are actively deterring people from getting a job in healthcare,” the survey found.

Sara Mosqueda is associate editor for Security Management. Connect with her on LinkedIn or send her an email at [email protected].