The Impact of Nurse to Nurse Bullying in the Workplace
The Impact of Nurse to Nurse Bullying in the Workplace
Have you ever been a target of an individual’s cruelty and hatred? It does not necessarily have to be physical, but more like being verbally degraded or publicly humiliated. The effects bullying can have on its victims is something that may last throughout their lives, or something that may end their life(Braithwaite, Hyde, Pope, 2010).We all are well aware of childhood bullying but as evidence shows bullying does not stop on the playground. Within health care, and nursing in particular, there is growing evidence of “in the work place” bullying (Malcolm,2006).Little is known about why there is such animosity between nurses but maybe if more people are aware of its presence, then it can be eliminated.(Stokowski,2010).
What is Nurse to Nurse Bullying?
Bullying is a term that is well known by everyone but in the nursing profession it may not be well understood. Nurse bullying is defined as” repeated vicious, unreasonable actions from one nurse to another”. These actions are intended to intimidate, degrade, offend or humiliate another nurse. Nurse bullying is throughout the profession (Braithwaite, Hyde, Pope, 2010). This type of behavior is not limited to one hospital or one type of nurse. Nurse bullying can be found anywhere around us but a few of the most common feuds are between a new nurse and a senior nurse, an ICU nurse and a medical surgical nurse and definitely the day shift nurse and the night shift nurse (Stokowski, 2010).
The term “nurses eat their young” is an expression used throughout nursing. It has become very popular because it is so true. This expression can be translated into senior nurses are harsh and vindictive
References: Braithwaite, J., Hyde, P., & Pope, C. (2010). Culture and Climate in Health Care Organisations. New York, NY: Palgrave Macmillin. Brown, T. (2010, February 11). When the Nurse Is a Bully. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/02/11/when-the-nurse-is-a-bully/ Malcolm, L. (2006). Nurse bullying: Organizational Considerations in the Maintenance. Journal of Nursing Management, 14(1), 52-58. Retrieved from http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1365-2934.2005.00535.x/pdf Rocker, C. (2008, September 8). Addressing Nurse-to-Nurse Bullying to Promote Nurse Retention . The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing, 13(3), doi:10.3912/OJIN.Vol13No03PPT05 Stokowski, L. (2010, September 30). A Matter of Respect and Dignity: Bullying in the Nursing Profession. Medscape News. Retrieved from http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/729474