Bullying has become rampant and common in today’s world, and it is witnessed everywhere, including in professional places of work. Hartin et al. (2020) explain that nursing is among the areas where incivility cases are high. Although bullying might seem odd in this career, the profession exposes people to significant stress, pressuring environments, and heightened emotions (Hartin et al., 2020). Therefore, nurses need to identify different incivilities, their effects, and solutions.
I have been a victim of bullying in my nursing profession, which affected my self-esteem adversely. I joined a health organization where most clinicians were of the opposite gender. These nurses said that I was not good enough to perform specific duties effectively. Their attitude made me feel as the odd one out, unwanted and isolated. As a result, I developed fear, anxiety, paranoia, and self-doubt with time.
Different approaches can be applied to prevent and stop bullying in nursing. In this case, I should have checked the company’s discrimination policies and told the bullies what I felt about the situation. It was also essential to report the issue to nurse managers, preceptors, or supervisors if the bullies continued with their behavior. This way, the administrators could act against the oppressors for violating the organization’s rules and regulations.
Incivility in nursing has adverse mental and physical effects on the victims, which may impact patient safety. For instance, Hartin et al. (2020) expound that when clinicians fear, they do not offer quality care to sick people, increasing the possibility of committing medical errors. Moreover, bullied nurses become frustrated and can pass their emotions to patients, although the nursing career requires sober healthcare workers to give competent care to ill people.
In conclusion, bullying has significantly increased in the workplace, and the nursing profession is not an exception. Incivility causes adverse physical effects such as high-stress levels and poor sleep, and mental ones, for instance, as fear and anxiety. Speaking up and reporting bullying incidents to the relevant authorities are the approaches that can improve the situation. The reason is that patient safety can be compromised if appropriate interventions are not implemented.
Reference
Hartin, P., Birks, M., & Lindsay, D. (2020). Bullying in nursing: How has it changed over four decades?Journal of Nursing Management, 28(7), 1619-1626. Web.