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Workplace Bullying in Nursing The causes, effects and possible Solutions (665 hits)


Bullying in nursing has been an issue of concern for decades. There are different names for bullying, including lateral violence, horizontal hostility, aggression, and incivility. Regardless of the name it still means the same thing, i.e., it is one person acting against another person in a verbally, emotionally, or physically abusive way.
The abusive conduct can be threatening, humiliating, or intimidating, or cause work interference/sabotage which results in work not getting done.

Incidence & Prevalence

It is hard to ascertain how widespread workplace bullying is because most bullying is never recognized, documented, or reported. It is estimated that in the U.S. one in six employees will experience bullying in the workplace in his/her lifetime. National surveys indicate anywhere from 27% to 85% of staff nurses report being bullied at work5 New nurses may be at an even higher risk of experiencing bullying, with one study finding that as many as 90% had experienced some form of "coworker incivility."

... A study done by Vessey et al (2009) found that while bullying can occur in any area, it occurred most often in medical surgical care (23%), critical care (18%), emergency areas (12%), operating room/post anesthesia care units (9%), and obstetric care (7%). This study also looked at who did the bullying and found the perpetrators to be senior nurses (24%), charge nurses (17%), nurse managers (14%), and physicians (8%). ...

There are many behaviors that can be equated with bullying. Some of these actions can be subtle or blatant and can be made by co-workers and management as well. These actions include:

Signs of Bullying
making a snide comment;
eye rolling;
inappropriate joking at another nurse's expense;
cursing/swearing;
humiliation
shouting and intimidation;
emotional/verbal abuse;
demeaning another person's work, input or comments;
constant criticism/harassment;
spreading rumors/gossip;
withholding needed information about a patient or work environment;
denying promotions and vacations;
impeding/undermining someone's work;
shunning/excluding a nurse on social occasion;
rummaging through someone's personal belongings; and
assigning tasks (unfair assignments) that someone is unable to meet; i.e., setting them up for failure.4
Causes of Bullying

There are numerous reasons that people bully others, especially in the nursing profession. The main factors are power and control on the part of the person who is bullying. Jealousy, feelings of inadequacy, being fearful of changes, or a nurse who obviously knows she is not performing to standards, are other reasons bullying takes place. In addition, the culture of nursing itself may lend nurses to be bullied. Nursing is still primarily associated with women. Women sometimes can act malicious towards one another. More and more males are entering the nursing profession. They too, can be bullied by those who deem nursing is a "female" profession.

When a nurse is bullying another, the bullying nurse assumes power and control of the nurse she is bullying. The nurse who is bullying now can control how other staff members and ancillary personnel view and interact with the bullying nurse. Jealousy is another motive for nurse(s) to bully other nurses. A nurse who is a "go-getter" and goes above and beyond performing the standard of care can be deemed as a threat to other nurses.

There are some nurses that minimally perform and are threatened by those that are overachievers. They can be fearful for their positions when another nurse is better able to multi-task, volunteers for projects outside of the work area (committees, etc) or is better at technology. New nurses are particularly vulnerable to bullying mostly because they are afraid that confronting the bullying nurse or complaining to management may cause them to lose their job.9

Effects of Bullying

The consequences related to being bullied are numerous and can cause physical, psychological and financial problems. Some of the physical ailments that have been documented in studies relating to bullying in the nursing discipline have included: headaches, gastrointestinal problems, such as stress ulcers, sleep disturbances, fatigue and loss of concentration. Psychological manifestations secondary to bullying include: depression, excessive worry, stress, helplessness, posttraumatic stress disorder and impaired social skills.

These symptoms can affect the bullying nurse not only professionally, but personally as well. The nurse may be missing work due to the physical and/or psychological symptoms. This situation can also cause a financial burden for the bullied nurse.


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Posted By: Jeni Fa
Wednesday, July 23rd 2014 at 5:19PM
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...All bullying, whether experienced or witnessed, should be reported to the appropriate person. It is a good idea to keep a detailed diary chronicling each bulling incident, with date, time, and place the event occurred, as well as who was present. Copies of bullying notes, emails, text messages, and other documents are important to keep.

All nurses should be reminded of Provision 1.5 of the American Nurses Association Code of Ethics for Nurses with Interpretive Statements. It states: "The nurse maintains compassionate and caring relationships with colleagues and others with a commitment to the fair treatment of individuals, to integrity-preserving compromise, and to resolving conflict." This is a clear guideline of how nurses are expected to act in professional work relations. Engaging in bullying behavior violates this guideline."



Wednesday, July 23rd 2014 at 5:32PM
Jeni Fa
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