[hen-ui-text variant=”b4″ tag=”em”]In our [hen-ui-link href=”/ask-a-nurse/”]Ask a Nurse[/hen-ui-link] series, experienced nurses provide an insider look at the nursing profession by answering your questions about nursing careers, degrees, and resources.[/hen-ui-text][hen-ui-separator /][hen-ui-card variant=”background-gray”] [hen-ui-card-content] [hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]Question: How do nurses combat new nurse bullying in the workplace?[/hen-ui-text] [/hen-ui-card-content][/hen-ui-card][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]You may have heard of nurses “eating their young,” which refers to experienced nurses bullying or harassing newer nurses. With COVID-19 being the highest priority in healthcare, nurse bullying may not seem to be of the greatest importance, but it is still a problem in the nursing profession today.[/hen-ui-text][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]Nurses also call new graduates “baby nurses,” implying these nurses are too young or too new. Jenna Liphart Rhoads, Ph.D., nurse educator, says this phrasing leads to newer nurses feeling inexperienced and undervalued.[/hen-ui-text][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]Unfortunately, bullying can be found throughout nursing regardless of experience. Maybe you’ve been bullied or witnessed it yourself. How do you deal with the situation when bullying arises?[/hen-ui-text][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]Combating nurse bullying as a new nurse is challenging. Don’t feel like you have to do it alone. Experienced nurses and nurse leaders can help combat new nurse bullying by:[/hen-ui-text][hen-ui-list variant=”unordered” bullet-style=”check”] [hen-ui-list-item][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]Acknowledging it[/hen-ui-text][/hen-ui-list-item] [hen-ui-list-item][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]Addressing it[/hen-ui-text][/hen-ui-list-item] [hen-ui-list-item][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]Building a culture of zero tolerance[/hen-ui-text][/hen-ui-list-item][/hen-ui-list][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]”Nurse leaders can combat bullying by promptly identifying bullying behavior directly to the bully,” Rhoads says. “Nurse managers should cultivate an environment of safety and encourage reporting of bullying behavior.”[/hen-ui-text][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]There is no wrong or right way to combat nurse bullying as long as you aren’t violent in words or actions. When you spot bullying, try calling out the action itself but calling in the person.[/hen-ui-text][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]Calling someone in is a less reactionary way to deal with conflict. It looks like pulling someone aside and speaking with them privately about their actions.[/hen-ui-text][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]After addressing the behavior, be sure to hold the person bullying accountable for a change in behavior moving forward, too.[/hen-ui-text][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]If you call out bullying and speak with the nurse about their behavior, you’re dealing with bullying the right way. If you’re experiencing bullying yourself, escalating the situation to a manager is also a way to combat bullying when calling out the behavior isn’t safe or effective.[/hen-ui-text][hen-ui-heading variant=”h2″]The Impacts of Bullying in the Workplace[/hen-ui-heading][hen-ui-text variant=”b4”]As defined by the Joint Commission, workplace bullying is referred to as lateral or horizontal violence that is “repeated, health-harming mistreatment of one or more persons (the targets) by one or more perpetrators.”[/hen-ui-text][hen-ui-text variant=”b4”]Bullying can come in different forms, and new nurses who experience it should be aware.[/hen-ui-text][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]In a recent Occupational Safety and Health Administration report on healthcare workplace violence:[/hen-ui-text][hen-ui-card variant=”background-gray”] [hen-ui-card-content] [hen-ui-text variant=”b4″][hen-ui-link href=”https://www.jointcommission.org/resources/news-and-multimedia/newsletters/newsletters/quick-safety/quick-safety-issue-24-bullying-has-no-place-in-health-care/bullying-has-no-place-in-health-care/”]Twenty-one percent[/hen-ui-link] of nurses and nursing students admitted being physically assaulted.[/hen-ui-text] [/hen-ui-card-content][/hen-ui-card][hen-ui-card variant=”background-gray”] [hen-ui-card-content] [hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]Over 50% of nurses admitted to being verbally abused in a 12-month period.[/hen-ui-text] [/hen-ui-card-content][/hen-ui-card][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]Another study reported [hen-ui-link href=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/labs/pmc/articles/PMC5544026/pdf/nihms864019.pdf”]over 30%[/hen-ui-link] of new nurses reported bullying.[/hen-ui-text][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]The impact of bullying on new nurses leads to:[/hen-ui-text][hen-ui-list variant=”unordered” bullet-style=”bullet”] [hen-ui-list-item][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]Frequent callouts[/hen-ui-text][/hen-ui-list-item] [hen-ui-list-item][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]Leaving their unit[/hen-ui-text][/hen-ui-list-item] [hen-ui-list-item][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]Leaving the profession[/hen-ui-text][/hen-ui-list-item] [hen-ui-list-item][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]Depression[/hen-ui-text][/hen-ui-list-item] [hen-ui-list-item][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]Anxiety[/hen-ui-text][/hen-ui-list-item] [hen-ui-list-item][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]Poor mental health[/hen-ui-text][/hen-ui-list-item] [hen-ui-list-item][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]Ineffective communication[/hen-ui-text][/hen-ui-list-item] [hen-ui-list-item][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]Inability to work within a team[/hen-ui-text][/hen-ui-list-item][/hen-ui-list][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]The culture of nurses bullying in the workplace is a perpetual cycle. It is often downplayed by management using phrases like “they are always like that” or “they didn’t mean it.”[/hen-ui-text][also] bullied as a new nurse,” Rhoads says. “They feel they need to do the same to new nurses so that they can ‘grow thick skin.'”[hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]At some facilities, bullying is blatantly ignored.[/hen-ui-text][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]Donna F. Brown, a retired nurse, recalls an incident with another nurse grabbing a chart out of her hand, then implying she was interviewing the patient incorrectly. When Brown reported the nurse, no action was taken.[/hen-ui-text][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]”Similarly, going through the hospital’s grievance process brought no satisfactory resolve,” Brown says.[/hen-ui-text][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]As a result of bullying, Brown says she was reluctant to come to work. Ske often felt tired and depressed while working.[/hen-ui-text][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]”Despite all odds, I still delivered high-quality nursing care to my patients because that was what was expected of me, and moreover, that was my work ethic,” Brown says.[/hen-ui-text][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]However, because of the repeated bullying, increased [hen-ui-link href=”/resources//nurse-burnout/”]nurse burnout[/hen-ui-link], and overall dissatisfaction with nursing, Brown left the profession.[/hen-ui-text][hen-ui-heading variant=”h2″]Why Bullying Happens in Nursing[/hen-ui-heading][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]The origin of nursing and bullying is well documented. Stories of sabotage and verbal abuse can be found as far back as the 1970s. The phrase “nurses eat their young” is still relevant today. It is used internationally and has been used for over 30 years.[/hen-ui-text][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]Literature reviews trace back to the hierarchical nature of the nursing practice as one of the causes of nurse bullying. One literature review points out nurses bully because of:[/hen-ui-text][hen-ui-list variant=”unordered” bullet-style=”bullet”] [hen-ui-list-item][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]Misuse of power[/hen-ui-text][/hen-ui-list-item] [hen-ui-list-item][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]Structural constraints[/hen-ui-text][/hen-ui-list-item] [hen-ui-list-item][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]Corporatization of healthcare[/hen-ui-text][/hen-ui-list-item] [hen-ui-list-item][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]Divisions within the ranks of nurses and doctors[/hen-ui-text][/hen-ui-list-item][/hen-ui-list][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]New nurses report incidences of bullying higher during the first three months after receiving their license. The reason why? Nurses cite bullying as a rite of passage for new nurses or a norm against newly licensed nurses.[/hen-ui-text][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]Brown believes fear is a driving force to bullying in nursing.[/hen-ui-text][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]”In my opinion,” says Brown, “fear of appearing incompetent, lack of teamwork, lack of respect for nursing coworkers, and stressful and demanding working conditions are among the most significant factors that contribute to nurse bullying.”[/hen-ui-text][hen-ui-heading variant=”h2″]What to Do if You Experience Bullying as a Nurse[/hen-ui-heading][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]If you are bullied or witness someone being bullied in the workplace, know that it is serious and should not be taken lightly. Here are a few actionable recommendations:[/hen-ui-text][hen-ui-list variant=”unordered” bullet-style=”check”] [hen-ui-list-item][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]If you witness bullying in the workplace and feel safe to engage, call out the behavior and address it directly with the nurse bullying others.[/hen-ui-text][/hen-ui-list-item] [hen-ui-list-item][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]If your facility has a chain of command, use it starting with the assistant nurse manager, nurse educator, or nurse manager.[/hen-ui-text][/hen-ui-list-item] [hen-ui-list-item][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]If your manager is doing the bullying, report it to human resources.[/hen-ui-text][/hen-ui-list-item] [hen-ui-list-item][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]If the bullying is severe, consistent, and nothing is being done immediately, report it to the director of nurses in your facility.[/hen-ui-text][/hen-ui-list-item] [hen-ui-list-item][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]Feel empowered to report it to your [hen-ui-link href=”/resources//what-is-the-role-of-the-state-board-of-nursing/”]state board of nursing[/hen-ui-link] as well.[/hen-ui-text][/hen-ui-list-item][/hen-ui-list][hen-ui-heading variant=”h2″]What Nurse Leaders Should Do to Combat Bullying[/hen-ui-heading][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]Nurse leaders are responsible for supporting nurses’ mental health and cultivating an environment that is safe for their nurses. Here are a few actionable recommendations to combat bullying:[/hen-ui-text][hen-ui-list variant=”unordered” bullet-style=”check”] [hen-ui-list-item][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]Identify the person doing the bullying immediately and address it.[/hen-ui-text][/hen-ui-list-item] [hen-ui-list-item][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]Nurses, especially new nurses, should be encouraged to report bullying behavior.[/hen-ui-text][/hen-ui-list-item] [hen-ui-list-item][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]Have a system in place for reporting bullying and a designated person who follows up with the reports.[/hen-ui-text][/hen-ui-list-item] [hen-ui-list-item][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]Create a [hen-ui-link href=”/resources//the-importance-of-mentorship-in-nursing/”]nursing mentorship[/hen-ui-link] program for new nurses, particularly during their first three months.[/hen-ui-text][/hen-ui-list-item] [hen-ui-list-item][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]Create an environment of zero tolerance for bullying through accountability.[/hen-ui-text][/hen-ui-list-item][/hen-ui-list]