Jayne Skehan
Saint Peters University, USA.
Title: Bullying and Incivility in the Most Caring Profession- Nursing
Biography
Biography: Jayne Skehan
Abstract
Workplace bullying has become increasingly prevalent in healthcare and there is significant data to support bullying befalls and carries destruction. The zone of silence that surrounds and insulates this surreptitious behavior is real. In an environment in which bullying is not addressed, it often spreads. Many ramifications of workplace bullying affect employees, as well as patients and can lead to decreased reimbursement, unsafe conditions, and increases in errors in addition to an overall negative reputation for an organization. Recently, studies have suggested there is a direct correlation between professional nursing educational programs and decreased incivility in the workplace. Research studies support that when bullies in the workplace are held accountable, staff are more empowered to come forward and report these events. Through education, prevention and awareness, nursing educational programs can be instrumental in eradicating this behavior both in the academic world and hospital based settings. Undergraduate nursing students in the academic arena could benefit from evidence-based education on ramifications of buying and how to address it in their practice. Hospital based nursing education programs outlining policies and acceptable behaviors are another forum that could help to prevent workplace violence. Researchers agree additional studies are needed in order to examine the effectiveness of nursing educational programs on eliminating covert bullying.
