path for essential health care. Several factors common in forensic settings have limited the traditional healthcare ideal of organized, efficient, and safe delivery of care. Nearly all health care workers have faced high expectations and may have experienced lack of time, skills, or social support to achieve them. Distinctive of forensic settings has been lack of equipment, absence of electronic health records, and limited quality improvement measures. Many have difficulty recruiting and retaining experienced nurses. Sufficient, qualified staff are necessary for all relationships including those with patients and peers. Staff of secure facilities have experienced significantly higher levels of emotional abuse, conflict, and bullying (Almost et al., 2013). Occupational stress has been correlated with the quality care and has also resulted in excess sick leave use and exiting of the profession (Ruotsalainen, Verbeek, Mariné, & Serra, 2014). Negative, demoralizing, and unsafe Cultivating Change 14 conditions contribute to errors, ineffective care delivery, and conflict and stress among health care professionals (American Nurses Association, 2013). Social Justice/Ethical Needs Every person has inherent dignity which does not come from personal qualities or accomplishments. Lack of compassion and respect for inherent dignity of every patient diminishes nursing practice and thereby jeopardizes nurses’ integrity (American Nurses Association, 2015). It is critical to mitigate the barriers to nursing in forensic settings, in order to overcome the resulting human and financial costs. The Code of Ethics for Nurses has established the ethical standard for the profession and provided guidance for nurses engaged in ethical analysis and decision-making (American Nurses Association, 2015). The whole nursing profession has an obligation to advance nursing in all roles and settings. As fellow nurses and fellow humans, we cannot leave nurses unprepared and unsupported. The repercussions of not addressing the challenges encountered by rural forensic nurses must be considered paramount for the integrity of nursing as a whole. Conclusion Evidence-based practice, national patient safety initiatives, and best practices are commonly disseminated through professional organizations. Such organizations are also used to promote professionalism as well as recruit and retain nurses. A networking opportunity for rural, forensic nurses is founded in practice knowledge and research. This format is rich for continued culture shift and consistent application of health care standards. Networking embraces emergence theory (Wheatley, 1992). Changes that would take place in a local forensic nursing network could then be repeated in larger or more complex system. Change happens in context of relationships. Networking, in which people find personal and work benefits, will eventually Cultivating Change 15 create systems of influence in which conditions are ripe for emergence. Empowering nurses with skills and knowledge in transformational leadership will guide them through uncertainty. Networking has allowed for case consultation, self-care, ethical discussions, and an environment supportive of professional growth. As nurses build confidence through networking and continuing education, they will become transformational in forensic settings by engaging stakeholders in quality care, cultivating therapeutic relationships, and more. Current social and political influences require tenacity to implement system-wide change. Nurses are uniquely positioned to facilitate this change. They face barriers. Some of the ways to address these barriers and move forward with change are networks and growth of new leaders Cultivating Change 16 References Almost, J., Doran, D., Ogilvie, L., Miller, C., Kennedy, S., Timmings, C., . . . Bookey-Bassett, S. (2013). Exploring work-life issues in provincial corrections settings. Journal of Forensic Nursing, 9(1), 3--13. American Correctional Association (ACA). (2014). Agency manual of accreditation policy and procedure. Retrieved from htt df American Nurses Association. (2013). Correctional nursing: Scope and standards of practice (2nd ed.). Silver Spring, MD: American Nurses Association. American Nurses Association. (2015). Code of ethics for nurses with interpretive statements. Silver Spring, Maryland: ANA, American Nurses Associat As primary care providers in correctional facilities, correctional nurses are expected to balance inmates’ healthcare needs with the security demands of the facility. This project explored whether an evidence-based education program could provide strategies for promoting health, a healthy work environment, and a sense of well-being to improve the knowledge, coping skills, and well-being of nurses working in a correctional occupational setting. Twenty nurses participated in an educational intervention project that was guided by the transactional theory of stress. Using a pretest/posttest design, data were collected over a 2-week period and calculated using means and percentages. The