Workplace bullying, especially in the healthcare field has been an incessant problem that has been proven to have damaging effects on individuals who experience it firsthand, and needs to be addressed and resolved quickly. The American Nurses Association defines bullying as “repeated, unwanted harmful actions intended to humiliate, offend and cause distress in the recipient” (nursingworld.org). The ANA considers bullying to be an extremely serious matter that jeopardizes patients’ well-being, workforce safety and the nursing profession all together. Nurses are required to create an ethical environment and treat others with dignity and respect. Being on the receiving end of a colleague’s tongue lashing, or dealing with endless eye rolling, constant
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The nursing profession will not tolerate any type violence or condone any behavior that is demeaning or condescending from any source. Registered nurses and employers in all hospital settings need to cooperate and work together in order to build safe and respectful environment, free of incivility, bullying, and workplace violence (nursingworld.org). The ANA believes that evidence-based practices are paramount, and must be implemented to inhibit and mitigate lack of respect, harassment and intimidation and to promote the wellbeing, security, and wellness of registered nurses and all health care professionals (nursingworld.org). I am very interested by this position statement because workplace bullying has been constantly mentioned during the course of nursing school, and throughout my clinical experiences. The term “nurses eat their young” seems to be a …show more content…
According to an article by Carol F. Rocker published in The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing, literature has shown that both victims, and witnesses of harassment suffer silently, and are oftentimes confused as to how to properly address the behavior, which in turn has contributed to numerous nurses leaving their chosen occupation. Rocker states that reports have revealed that workplace bullying among nurses is being recognized as a leading occupational health issue all over the world, including countries such as the UK, Europe, Australia, and throughout North America. Besides the psychological ramifications, workplace bullying has many other negative effects, including reduced job satisfaction, decreased productivity, employee retention and poor client management, which can eventually lead to additional direct and indirect costs to employers (nursingworld.org). Bullying can be particularly costly in terms of manpower, increased absences, higher intent to quit their profession and high staff turnover. According to one study, lost productivity associated with workplace bullying was estimated at $11,581 per nurse annually (Lewis & Malecha, 2011). Likewise, an additional study conducted on 5,000 nurses employed at a U.S.
The nursing profession will not tolerate any type violence or condone any behavior that is demeaning or condescending from any source. Registered nurses and employers in all hospital settings need to cooperate and work together in order to build safe and respectful environment, free of incivility, bullying, and workplace violence (nursingworld.org). The ANA believes that evidence-based practices are paramount, and must be implemented to inhibit and mitigate lack of respect, harassment and intimidation and to promote the wellbeing, security, and wellness of registered nurses and all health care professionals (nursingworld.org). I am very interested by this position statement because workplace bullying has been constantly mentioned during the course of nursing school, and throughout my clinical experiences. The term “nurses eat their young” seems to be a …show more content…
According to an article by Carol F. Rocker published in The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing, literature has shown that both victims, and witnesses of harassment suffer silently, and are oftentimes confused as to how to properly address the behavior, which in turn has contributed to numerous nurses leaving their chosen occupation. Rocker states that reports have revealed that workplace bullying among nurses is being recognized as a leading occupational health issue all over the world, including countries such as the UK, Europe, Australia, and throughout North America. Besides the psychological ramifications, workplace bullying has many other negative effects, including reduced job satisfaction, decreased productivity, employee retention and poor client management, which can eventually lead to additional direct and indirect costs to employers (nursingworld.org). Bullying can be particularly costly in terms of manpower, increased absences, higher intent to quit their profession and high staff turnover. According to one study, lost productivity associated with workplace bullying was estimated at $11,581 per nurse annually (Lewis & Malecha, 2011). Likewise, an additional study conducted on 5,000 nurses employed at a U.S.