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Bullying: A Major Problem in Nursing
Bullying: A Major Problem in Nursing
Ashlee Powers
Bullying is a problem throughout the world, from school-age children to adults in the work
world. Within the nursing profession, bullying is a major problem. According to the Merriam-Webster
(n.d.) dictionary, the verb bully means “to treat (someone) in a cruel, insulting, threatening, or
aggressive fashion”. Bullying within the workforce is also used to coerce another person into doing
something, such as giving a medication that isn’t needed. Bullying occurs from the nursing student level
to the expert nurse level. Bullying has been tolerated in the workplace for too long and has some
adverse effects not only on the nurses and their work environment, but also on patient safety. Bullying is
something that can happen to anyone and being in the nursing profession increases the chance for of an
occurrence. Increasing awareness of bullying within the nursing profession and ending tolerance will
improve the overall satisfaction of nurses in their careers while increasing patient safety.
Bullying has been around for a long time, especially within the nursing profession. Bullying
occurs in many forms: patients bully their nurses, nurses bully each other, and even physicians bully
nurses. O’Connor (2020) interviewed Kate Blackwood, a researcher that focused on studying how
bullying within nursing impacts nurse and patient care. In the research, bullying is embedded in three
main factors that effect affect nurses. These factors are typically embedded within the organization
structure itself, such as “stress, frustration, and conflict” (O’Connor, 2020, p. 23). Nurses work in an
environment that is constantly stressful, leading to frustration and conflict with others. This type of
workplace environment is prone to having bullying. Randle (2003) conducted a study that showed that
nurses who were bullied suffered from lower self-esteem and felt less competent in their role.
There is a lot of literature that discusses the impact of bullying among nursing students. Several
researchers have found that nursing students are one of the main groups that are bullied within the
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profession along with new graduate nurses. Buonaguro (2020) explains that many nurses bully students
because they believe that it is a necessary component of the experience in the clinical setting before
becoming an actual nurse. The number of nursing students that have reported an incidence of bullying
within the clinical setting is high.: “It is estimated, during nursing school, 89% of students reported at
least one act of bullying (Clarke et al., 2012)” (Buonaguro, 2020, p. 1). Research also shows that those
that bully others tend to have a higher role within the organization. These roles varied from managers to
nurses with more seniority (Fernandez & Mosteiro, 2021). Bullying student nurses could increase the
chances for of dropping out of the program because of an increase in anxiety and stress stress-related to
Along with students, new nurses are another targeted group for workplace bullying. Anusiewicz,
et al., (2020) interviewed several nurses at a southern United States hospital and discovered that one of
the most reported times of workplace bullying is when a nurse first begins in their career. O’Connor
(2020) discovered in her interview with Kate Blackwood that new graduate nurses are bullied most often
by the most senior nurses because of their lack of confidence. Randle (2003), O’Connor (2020), and
Buonaguro (2020) all mention that new nurses tend to go through a rough period of bullying at the start
of their careers. This is often referred to as a “rite of passage” (Buonaguro, 2020, page number of the
direct quote) and is used to test the new nurse to see if they deserve their title. Lower self-esteem is
seen in nurses that are bullied. Low self-esteem is also seen with self-doubt. Nurses that experienced
harsh criticism, such as for being thorough or about how they practiced nursing (Anusiewicz, et al.,
2020). Bullying new nurses can prevent nurses from providing high high-quality of care because they are
Patient Safety
Patient safety is always a top priority within the clinical setting. Nurses that are bullied have
been shown to provide a lower quality of care, increasing the patient’s risk of injury or harm.
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Oftentimes, nurses that experience bullying are more likely to question their ability to perform their
jobs. Their productivity decreases and they cannot an inability to use critical thinking skills when
providing patient care (Green, 2020). Bullying is a distraction that is difficult to overcome because it
changes the way a person thinks and feels about themselves. Distractions cause a decrease in patient
care. In their study, Anusiewicz, et al (2020) found that nurses felt their quality of care decreased the
Nurses that are bullied often have a change in their behavior as well. Randle (2003) found in her
study that those nurses that experienced daily bullying in the clinical setting began to assimilate those
actions into their nursing practice. Patients should be the priority within the clinical setting and treated
with respect. Nurses spent less time caring for their patients because they did not want to interact with
Conclusion
Bullying in nursing has been around for far too long. Nurses have bullied students and new
nurses long enough. Allowing bullying to continue, especially to among these two groups within the
profession, can decrease the desirability of the profession. This could put more of a strain on an already
small nursing community. By aAddressing bullying as it occurs discourages the behavior and will
encourage a more positive work environment. Increasing awareness about bullying could decrease the
References
Anusiewicz, C. V., Ivankova, N. V., Swiger, P. A., Gillespie, G. L., Li, P., & Patrician, P. A. (2020). How does
https://doi-org.proxysb.uits.iu.edu/10.1111/jocn.15443
Buonaguro, R. (2020). Bullying in nursing school? How students describe their reactions. Dean’s Notes,
42(2), 1-4.
Fernandez, G. L. & Mosteiro, D.M. (2021). Bullying in nursing students: A integrative literature review.
org.proxysb.uits.iu.edu/10.1111/inm.12854
Green, C. (2021). The hollow: A theory on workplace bullying in nursing practice. Nursing Forum,
56(2),433-438. https://doi-org.proxysb.uits.iu.edu/10.1111/nuf.12539
https://www.merriam-webster.com/bully
O’Connor, T. (2020). What causes bullying and how can it be reduced? Bullying is a widespread problem
in nursing. What causes it and how can it be reduced? Kai Tiaki Nursing New Zealand, 26(3), 22-
24.
Randle, J. (2003). Bullying in the nursing profession. Journal of Advanced Nursing (Wiley-Blackwell),