Bullying in Nursing: How Serious Is It?

In a variety of professions, employees must work under immense stress and sometimes high stake situations.  These workers must balance all of this emotional and physical strain, while maintaining a positive attitude amongst the customers.  In addition to this, employees must balance the sometime inevitable stress while associating themselves with fellow colleagues.  However, this expected professionalism is sometimes not maintained, creating very tense and ultimately unhealthy dynamics in the work field.  Such has been the reported case for nurses in hospitals. 

An article posted in scrubsmag.com discusses this very concept, pointing out that “bullying is an everyday occurrence in nursing and healthcare.”  To some, this may very well come as a surprise, due to the fact that nurses and other healthcare professionals must conduct themselves with compassion, perseverance, and quick thinking, yet the relationships between fellow nurses may not always follow this same nurse-patient interaction.

The occurrence of bullying within the hospital may come as a surprise, as nurses and the very foundation by which the profession is built upon is centered around care for others.  Although this may be true, it is not uncommon for fellow nurses, physicians, and other medical professionals to gossip, attack someone's work habits, or any other type of taunting.  These occurrences, as mentioned in the article, highlight the “behind-the-scenes” of how nurses interact with each other when they are not caring for patients. 

The “scrubs editor” of the piece posted earlier this year states that, “There is nothing that irks me more than bullying in nursing. Even after 10 years, I have occasional run-ins with bullying by nurses and providers that I work with. It’s a harsh reality of our profession. Bullying is something that we together can work to stop.”

The above article is not the first posting to highlight the problem of bullying among nurses.  Nursingtimes.net mentions that the phenomenon “is a significant issue confronting the nursing profession, with victims described as being part of an oppressed group.”  The article, posted in March of 2016, discusses the many factors of bullying, shedding light on the significant repercussions it can bring to nursing staffs of all hospitals.

Why are some nurses bullies?

Bullying amongst fellow nurses within a hospital may look different depending on which facility is being looked at.  Although this may be the case, certain trends across all healthcare facilities may contribute to these types of relationships and dynamics between healthcare professionals.  Each hospital has different means of communication, whether it be via mobile devices, laptops, call systems, and so on.  This being said, the likelihood of relaying orders can very well be misinterpreted on the receiving end. 

Such miscommunication can make way for potential blaming, gossip, and other unhealthy responses due to a communicative error.  Without a proper use of communication, important messages pertaining to patient assignments, dosages, and so on, may be likely. As is the case for any hospital in the world, communication is easily one of the most vital means by which fellow employees and even patients obtain the necessary information they need for a variety of day to day tasks and operations.

Another cause surrounding the issue of bullying, as identified in the previously mentioned article seen in nursingtimes.net, is that there may very well be a result of , “long standing power struggles arising from conflict of values often caused by organizational conditions and unsympathetic leadership styles (Strandmark and Hallberg, 2007).” 

A question of seniority and who among the staff knows the ins and outs of the hospital can likely lead to this “power struggle” as mentioned.  This behavior only aides in diminishing strong and healthy means of communication, something very much needed when the lives of others are potentially on the line. 

A study published in February of 2009, conducted by Ms. Susan L Johnson mentioned this same theory in terms of a power struggle being the result of bullying from one nurse to another.  Johnson highlights this idea when she states that, “Bullying was initially viewed as an aberrant behaviour that occurred between individuals within an organization. However, it is now recognized that the organization in which the bullying occurs plays an important role in enabling, motivating and triggering bullying (Hoel & Salin 2003). Employees can be also be bullied by an organization's policies and procedures (Liefooghe & Davey 2003).”

Aside from the cause of bullying being do to who has been on the staff longer, other theories suggest that nurses who received training elsewhere, say overseas, could well be at the focal point of bullying in the workplace.  Nursingtimes.net mentions that, “Hogh et al (2011) found that non-western immigrant health workers had a significantly higher risk of being bullied at work, particularly during their first year of employment and during their trainee period.”

The impact of bullying

For a variety of reasons, bullying within hospital walls can have serious effects.  These effects can be felt in both the nurses being bullied, as well as the patients that the nurse must look after in their everyday work.  The profession of nursing alone is enough to bring mental and physical challenges, and the addition of bullying from other staff member will only progress any potential psychological effects.  When discussing the impact that bullying in this work environment can have, the previously mentioned nursingtimes.net article states that, “ Nurses who work in a culture of bullying are likely to experience job dissatisfaction, spend more time on leave, have decreased productivity and lower morale (Cleary et al, 2010). This threatens nurses’ well being (Cleary et al, 2010; Felblinger, 2008) and frequently results in them being unable to provide high-quality care (Huntington et al, 2011).”  The article does well in highlighting the fact that bullying can most importantly begin to affect how well nurses are caring for patients on a daily basis.

The solution

Just as there are a variety of causes and impacts that are associated with bullying, the solutions to stop bullying within hospitals can also vary.  The way to solve these problems will look different for each hospital, but no matter what, bringing an end to these types of interactions among co workers will ultimately prove to better the work environment for all who are involved.  In order for this problem to be resolved, the bullying amongst nurse must first be identified by all involved within the staff.  Once those at all levels are able to recognize these imperfections in terms of the workplace dynamics, the path towards progress will be a much smoother one.

Aside from the simple (or not so simple in some cases) act of identifying the problem and its cause, hospitals must implement various changes within the structure in how their staff is run.  This may include certain requirements or policies that advocate for more positive interaction amongst the nurses.  Johnson discussing this when her study says, “Policies should be put into place stating that bullying is not tolerated, and outlining how bullying incidents will be dealt with (Lewis 2006).”  Her ideas go one step further, when she discusses the need for more employees to be informed about bullying, which includes what certain behaviors that would lead to bullying may look like.

This can ultimately aid in stopping bullying altogether within hospitals.  Doing so will create a more efficient, communicative environment by which nurses are able to work in.  A well-functioning staff, free of miscommunication, blaming, and so on, will ultimately provide the benefit of a great place for patients to be.  A place wherein the vital communications and care is fully implemented.