Across healthcare, supporting workforce well-being is no longer just the right thing to do, it’s a strategic priority. The American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) now formally recognizes organizational well-being through its Well-Being Excellence™ credential. This new recognition joins the prestigious Magnet Recognition Program® and Pathway to Excellence®, creating a comprehensive framework that highlights how healthcare organizations invest in the people who deliver care.
Built on evidence-based standards, Well-Being Excellence™ can complement Magnet and Pathway efforts, helping organizations demonstrate measurable progress in morale, engagement, and resilience.
Amid initiatives like shared governance, leadership development, and staffing optimization, small but meaningful actions can make the biggest daily impact. Elequil Aromatabs® aromatherapy is one of those simple, nurse-driven solutions, helping to reduce anxiousness, soothe queasiness, and promote calm for both staff and patients.
The Alarming Statistics on Nurse Stress
According to the Beyond the Beside: The State of Nursing in 2025 report, 65% of nurses reported high levels of stress and burnout. When burnout occurs, it can affect patient care.
Burnout is linked to higher errors, higher fall rates, and decreased patient safety and compassion fatigue. Burnout can also impact morale, lead to high turnover, and detachment with colleagues. One of the top stressors is lack of leadership support. Nurses are looking for stronger leadership, flexibility, and meaningful recognition.
Why ANCC Well-Being Excellence Matters
The Well-Being Excellence™ framework recognizes hospitals and health systems that prioritize workforce morale, engagement, and resilience. These are the same factors that influence nurse retention, patient satisfaction, and quality outcomes, making the credential a visible sign of an organization’s values.
Pathway to Excellence® emphasizes a healthy work environment through shared decision-making, leadership, and well-being. Magnet® honors nursing excellence, innovation, and patient outcomes.
Together, these programs define what thriving nursing cultures look like: teams supported by leadership, empowered by evidence, and sustained by well-being.
Elequil Aromatabs: A Small Nursing Comfort That Makes a Measurable Difference
Elequil Aromatabs® are single-use, self-adhesive aromatherapy tabs designed specifically for healthcare environments. They adhere easily to clothing or scrubs, allowing staff to experience the soothing benefits of aromatherapy throughout their day.
Because each Aromatab is personal and portable, staff can choose the aroma that best supports their individual well-being needs, such as relaxation, focus, or stress relief, while continuing to provide exceptional care. This individualized approach empowers team members to incorporate self-care seamlessly into their daily routine, promoting a calmer, more centered workplace atmosphere.
Used by many hospitals to support staff wellness, Elequil can help staff feel comforted without adding to workload. It’s a non-pharmacologic and has been used by these hospitals for Code Lavender initiatives, respite or relaxation rooms for staff, onboarding new nurses in their welcome package, or gifted on nurse recognition days.
Nurses use Elequil to:
- Ease anxiousness and provides immediate emotional support when a nurse losses a patient or a patient has a set back
- Promote mindful breathing and help with centering emotions
- Provide a moment of peace during a their demanding shift
- Help ease queasiness from stress, encountering strong odors or sights
- Help with fatigue during a long shift
Evidence That Supports Elequil Aromatherapy
Studies have shown that using Elequil Aromatabs have helped alleviate staff stress. One study showed 46% decrease in staff stress when wearing a lavender Aromatab. Another study had a poster presentation at the ANCC Magnet conference 2025 showing a reduction in staff stress that used Elequil Aromatabs during their shift.
Aligning Elequil With ANCC Well-Being, Pathway, and Magnet Standards
For Well-Being Excellence
- Workforce Morale & Engagement:
- Provide Elequil in staff lounges, recharge stations, or resource carts to encourage micro-breaks and stress relief.
- Track adoption through quick surveys or engagement dashboards.
- Resilience & Retention:
- Include Elequil in new grad onboarding or float pool self-care kits.
- Measure impact on perceived stress, mood, and intention-to-stay metrics.
For Pathway to Excellence
- Healthy Work Environment:
- Position Elequil as a nurse-led comfort strategy that promotes calm and supports psychological safety. By empowering nurses to offer as a nursing intervention, this can boost employee morale and satisfaction.
- Professional Development:
- Encourage staff to start QI projects on aromatherapy’s role in patient comfort and nurse wellness.
- How to Implement in 30 Days and See Results in 90
- Identify goals and metrics - Before launching to nurses, define what good results mean. Is it reducing stress? Improving focus during shifts? Increase morale?
- Use staff surveys to measure before and after results - Ask participating nurse to determine their current stress levels, provide each staff member with an Elequil Aromatabs and use same survey to measure stress levels after using (Beekley Medical® has staff surveys templates available upon request)
- Make the program visual to staff - Letting the staff know clinical aromatherapy is available to support their well-being can help participation.
- Measure the results - Determine stress levels before and after use of aromatherapy during shifts and share results with participating staff and nurse leadership.
The Power of Small Comforts
Big designations are earned one good day at a time. Supporting well-being through both systemic strategies and simple, meaningful interventions creates the kind of culture ANCC recognizes: one grounded in safety, compassion, and professional pride.
By making comfort visible for both patients and staff, Elequil Aromatabs® helps organizations live their values every day and move closer to achieving Well-Being Excellence™, Pathway to Excellence®, and Magnet® recognition.
To implement Elequil Aromatabs aromatherapy for staff wellness, email info@beekley.com to get started.
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Melissa Vibberts
Director of Brand Management
