Dealing With Incivility In The Clinical Setting

Whether or not you realize it, bullying or incivility is everywhere. Including the workplace. No matter where you work, there is going to be that one individual that is very eager to see you fail. Their aim is to undermine and intimidate anyone who may be weaker than them. 

While senior or long employed nurses don't command newly hired nurses to do consequences, but they usually involve themselves in aggravating behaviours and irritating actions to observe how long these new nurses can stand into the unit. Harsh situations are already happening in nursing areas, this involves the failure to have uninterrupted meals or restroom breaks, they have no time to set some personal appointments. Due to fear of punishment, depressed and bullied nurses tend not to verbalize disappointment and grievance to nursing administration. The continuous shortage of nurses does not allow for the costly loss of nursing staff due to undesirable disrespect and incivility in the workplace. We all know that nursing management is very distressing, with safety of the patient and maximum care at the focus of decision making when observing and managing staff and staff interactions and cooperation. Nurse managers and staff nurses must become aware of incivility does not only affects nursing satisfaction, but also ultimately putting the patient safety at risk. I think that nurses who are experiencing bullying or incivility are hesitant to ask for help or ask questions resulting to increased possibility of errors in patient care. The nurse leader's sole responsibility is acquiring information and understanding knowledge regarding the common types of nurse bullying behaviors and the roots for these behaviours. Additionally, the awareness and understanding of nursing administration cause intolerance for negative treatment among peer groups and support for staff willing to speak against bullying or hazing. Zero tolerance of horizontal hostility in nursing is advantageous to the whole nursing system, moving towards improved staff satisfaction and morale and resulting in decreased nurse turnover rates. 

The journey of nursing towards reaching a goal of respect as a profession among members and other disciplines is lessened by horizontal hostility or simply incivility, nurse managers and nurses must undertake a new period of improvement. Nurses are caring, magnanimous individuals with the capability to think critically and make changes for the improvement of the profession and the safety of the patient. 

I also believe that nurses need to bring back the voice that was taken from them and speak their truth that the hid for a long time for the fear of penalty. It’s one of the nurse’s most powerful tool. In this kind of environment, it wouldn't seem like conflict and contest would be the solution to better nurse relations. I believe that it is all about breaking the code of silence. It guides her to define and say what she’s undergoing and the depression she is allowing, explain why it disturbs her, tell what she likes to change and alter and make it clear what the consequences are if she doesn't.  The backstabbing and hateful talk stops if nurses speak their side and go to the main root of the problem.

Assertiveness really guides us nurses to be more professional and that’s what we really are, professionals. Remember that you were not born to be bullied. You don’t deserve it. No one does. Don't blame yourself for the other person’s attitude towards you. In fact, this person may feel vulnerable or terrified by you, and may feel the need to drag you down.