Prevalence and Impact

Bullying in nursing takes many forms, including verbal abuse, social isolation, intimidation, withholding information, and excessive criticism. New graduate nurses are particularly vulnerable, with over 30% reporting bullying experiences in their first year of practice. The impacts of bullying are multifaceted. Many of the concepts that can impact bullying in the workplace might include increased stress, anxiety, depression, burnout, intent to leave the profession, compromised quality of care and safety risks, higher turnover, absenteeism, and financial costs.

Contributing Factors

Several factors contribute to the prevalence of bullying in nursing:

• Hierarchical culture and power imbalances
• High-stress work environments
• Lack of management support and accountability
• Normalized “nurses eat their young” mentality
• Inadequate training on professional communication

Prevention Strategies

Addressing nurse bullying requires a multifaceted approach from establishing clear anti-bullying policies to identifying key mentors who do not bully their mentees. Education and training on recognizing and responding to bullying regardless of your position is important to begin the change process. As this education continues a clear anti-bullying policy needs to be created and mandated across the health system. Bullying can occur from a person of power to a person with less power or it can be a parallel peer to peer bullying situation. All types and forms of bullying must be addressed.

Your change agents will need to help leaders model and reinforce a culture of civility, teamwork, and respect. Adding confidential, non-punitive reporting mechanisms for bullying incidents will be important. More difficult, is empowering individuals who are bullied to feel as though they can report the incidents. People in general have a general fear if repercussions, enhancing an open and nonjudgmental leadership style is key.

Most hospital systems and many clinic systems have confidential employee support programs. Providing access to counseling, mentoring, and other support services for any employee who experience bullying will be important. Leaders will need to consistently enforce consequences for bullying behaviors through progressive disciplinary action. Collaboration with Human Resources to ensure system policies are enforced and all parties are treated with mutual respect will be essential.

Leaders can improve work conditions by addressing bullying in the workplace. Addressing underlying stressors like inadequate staffing may be helpful. Train nurses in constructive approaches to addressing conflicts and differences. Encourage and equip all staff to safely intervene when witnessing bullying behaviors. Utilize staff surveys and other tools to monitor the prevalence of bullying and effectiveness of interventions.

The key is taking a comprehensive, multi-faceted approach that addresses bullying at the individual, unit, and organizational levels. Leadership commitment and consistent enforcement of policies are critical for creating lasting change.

Approaching New Anti-Bullying Campaign Strategies with the Change Theory

Implementing an anti-bullying policy using Change Theory can be an effective approach to addressing workplace bullying in healthcare settings. Here’s a description of how this might be done, supported by scholarly references:

The first step in Lewin’s Change Theory is “unfreezing,” which involves creating awareness of the need for change and preparing the organization for it. Conduct a thorough assessment of the current bullying situation in the organization. Share data and personal stories to highlight the prevalence and impact of bullying. Engage stakeholders at all levels to recognize the need for change.

The Change stage involves implementing the new anti-bullying policy and associated interventions. Develop a comprehensive anti-bullying policy with clear definitions, reporting procedures, and consequences. Provide education and training on recognizing and responding to bullying behaviors. Implement reporting systems and support mechanisms for targets of bullying. Empower bystanders to intervene safely when witnessing bullying.

The final stage, Refreezing, involves solidifying the changes and making them a permanent part of the organizational culture. Consistently enforce the anti-bullying policy. Regularly assess the effectiveness of interventions and make adjustments as needed. Integrate anti-bullying measures into ongoing training and performance evaluations. Celebrate successes and share positive outcomes to reinforce the new norms.

Conclusion

Preventing workplace bullying is essential for creating safe, healthy work environments where nurses can thrive and provide optimal patient care. By implementing comprehensive prevention strategies and fostering a culture of respect, healthcare organizations can significantly reduce the incidence and impact of nurse bullying. Ongoing commitment from leadership, staff engagement, and continuous evaluation are key to sustainable change. With concerted effort, the nursing profession can eliminate the “eating our young” mentality and cultivate supportive, collegial workplaces for all nurses. Lewin’s Change Theory can assist leadership in healthcare organizations to implement new policies and ensure those new policies

References

Edmonson, C., & Zelonka, C. (2019). Our own worst enemies: The nurse bullying epidemic. Nursing Administration Quarterly, 43(3), 274-279.

Smith, C. R., Palazzo, S. J., Grubb, P. L., & Gillespie, G. L. (2021). Standing up against workplace bullying behavior: Recommendations from newly licensed nurses. Nursing Forum, 56(2), 265-274.

Burnes, B. (2020). The origins of Lewin’s three-step model of change. The Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 56(1), 32-59.

Stagg, S. J., Sheridan, D. J., Jones, R. A., & Speroni, K. G. (2013). Workplace bullying: The effectiveness of a workplace program. Workplace Health & Safety, 61(8), 333-338.

Laschinger, H. K. S., Wong, C. A., & Grau, A. L. (2012). The influence of authentic leadership on newly graduated nurses’ experiences of workplace bullying, burnout and retention outcomes: A cross-sectional study. International Journal of Nursing Studies, 49(10), 1266-1276.

Simons, S. R., & Mawn, B. (2010). Bullying in the workplace—A qualitative study of newly licensed registered nurses. AAOHN Journal, 58(7), 305-311.

MacIntosh, J., Wuest, J., Gray, M. M., & Cronkhite, M. (2010). Workplace bullying in health care affects the meaning of work. Qualitative Health Research, 20(8), 1128-1141.

---

DISCLAIMER

The Site may contain (or you may be sent through the Site) links to other websites or content belonging to or originating from third parties or links to websites and features in banners or other advertising. Such external links are not investigated, monitored, or checked for accuracy, adequacy, validity, reliability, availability, or completeness by us. WE DO NOT WARRANT, ENDORSE, GUARANTEE, OR ASSUME RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ACCURACY OR RELIABILITY OF ANY INFORMATION OFFERED BY THIRD-PARTY WEBSITES LINKED THROUGH THE SITE OR ANY WEBSITE OR FEATURE LINKED IN ANY BANNER OR OTHER ADVERTISING. WE WILL NOT BE A PARTY TO OR IN ANY WAY BE RESPONSIBLE FOR MONITORING ANY TRANSACTION BETWEEN YOU AND THIRD-PARTY PROVIDERS OF PRODUCTS OR SERVICES.

PROFESSIONAL DISCLAIMER

The Site cannot and does not contain medical/health advice. The medical/health information is provided for general informational and educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional advice. Accordingly, before taking any actions based upon such information, we encourage you to consult with the appropriate professionals. We do not provide any kind of medical/health advice. THE USE OR RELIANCE OF ANY INFORMATION CONTAINED ON THE SITE IS SOLELY AT YOUR OWN RISK.

AFFILIATES DISCLAIMER

The Site may contain links to affiliate websites, and we receive an affiliate commission for any purchases made by you on the affiliate website using such links.

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn advertising fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated websites.
This disclaimer was created using Termly’s Disclaimer Generator.