Nurses Eating Their Young

If you have been in healthcare for any amount of time, say a day, you have heard that statement. The statement that nurses eat their young has been around since Jesus was a foot soldier. When I entered nursing many years ago, way after Jesus was a foot soldier, I can say I saw this happen to nursing students and nurses alike and it was perpetrated by new and older nurses. Some were clueless and some, sad to say, I think really enjoyed the power they wielded when they attacked another nurse.

Recently, the American Nurses Association put forth their Position Statement on Incivility, Bullying, and Workplace Violence. The position statement highlights the role and responsibilities to ensure nurses, and thankfully all healthcare workers, should have in a work environment built on respect. Nurses, organizations, and educational systems share in this responsibility to correct this problem.

The statement is inclusive of the problem of workplace incivility, bullying, and workplace violence. The remainder of the statement goes on to discuss the roles of nurses and employers on creating a healthy workplace environment. Ideally, this should be a linchpin document for nurses and organizations to use on dealing with workplace incivility. The challenge is, though stated in the Position Statement very clearly, that each nurse must take on the responsibility to identify and stop workplace incivility when it happens.

Well surprise that is not new news. For years I have shared with my teams that evil loves the dark and dank and those who most adept at creating workplace incivility are counting on good people to do nothing. Light must be shown on what is happening. For when light arrives, the darkness disappears. Moral Courage is required.

A few years back I had an employee who worked for me. This person on the surface to supervisors was a leader who got things done, had tasks accomplished when needed, and the work performance was high. When it was finally brought to our attention at how this supervisor treated their people, well, I can say I was mortified. This person had really had many in leadership believing how good they were as a supervisor. In the matter of a month when we started to investigate allegations, we found out this supervisors had been creating such a hostile work environment; people were quitting to get away from the supervisor. Good workers. This had been going on years before I arrived at the organization.

For bullying to stop, someone needs to stand up and say enough. That is the key to implementing any program to stop work place incivility. Moral courage is a great starting point. The Position Statement is clear, it is everyone’s responsibility in stopping workplace incivility. No one can let it slide or slip. As in my experience, it took several good workers to come forward to their leadership and to have the moral courage to report what is happening.

What are you doing to help stop nurses from eating their young?

Leading with you

Dean

American Nurses Association Position Statement on Incivility, Bullying, and Workplace Violence can be found at the American Nurses Association website

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