Nursing Expression Essay

There is a common expression heard in nursing school and facilities that employs nurses, “nurses eat their young”. When I began school, I wondered about that expression; I now know the reason behind the expression and it is sad to say how true it is. Bullying plagues the nursing profession, but it is not the only form of violence experienced in regularity in this profession. Physical, emotional, economic, sexual, and verbal abuse occur frequently, often without ever being reported or discussed with no one. According to the American Nurses Association (ANA), a recent survey revealed that one quarter of respondents have been physically assaulted by a patient or family member (caregiver), and close to half had been bullied by another nurse or a person in authority (i.e. physician) (Saltzberg & Clark, 2015). There are many factors that contribute to this volatile environment that promotes violence; however, they are commonly divided by factors related too: clinical, related to the patient, family, caregiver, drugs and alcohol, or under staffed in both nursing and in allied health care occupations such as lab techs; environmental, waiting in the waiting room for an extended amount of time, crowded situations; and organizational, a lack of security
This unwanted assault happens at every level of nursing, at all kind of facilities. The administration has been reluctant to take a stand regarding bullying among its nursing staff, but in 2014 the American Nurses Association took steps to address the growing problem of bullying and violence in the workplace as it pertains to nurses. It is time to build a culture of respect and civility in the nursing profession. This is to be done in two steps: first make a commitment to stop bullying, and two, work with employers to end violence against nurses and other health care