Bullies: The Effects of Lateral Violence in Nursing

Everyone has seen, heard, or has been a victim of  nurse bullies, also known as lateral violence. There are different ways which this occurs whether between a tenured nurse and new nurse, between gossiping nurses, between a nurse and nursing student, and even between nursing professor and student.

        Some things are unknown why this is happening, but many professionals suggest it is a result of it being passed down from nurse generation to nurse generation. I fully agree with this, like many bad habits these things are formed due to people doing it to others since that is what has been done to them. It reminds me of the saying that I have heard years back, "Hurt people hurt people". This simple phrase expresses that those who have been hurt, or in this case bullied, will do the same to others.

Lateral violence does not only affect the nurse but patients and hospitals as well. Many nurses leave for another hospital in order to escape the bullying, costing the hospital tens of thousands of dollars to find a replacement. In addition, patient care can be compromised through a new nurse not asking for help or when nurses gossip in front of the patient. In addition, the victim of the bullying can experience physical and mental ailments just as if they were physically abused.
    
       As a newer generation of nurses we have witnessed many occurrences of lateral violence, whether just a snide remark or slandering behind the nurses back. Finishing my second year in nursing school, I have had my fair share of nurse preceptor experiences. I have seen nurses gossiping about other nurses to me and to other nurses. There have been times which I, as well as many of my cohort, have been tossed aside by nurses because they were too busy to have a student "get in the way". I have seen nurses give a snide remark and be rude when assisting another nurse who needed help. Other times I have witnessed lateral violence from nursing professor to nursing student, whether it is an insulting remark or nonverbal degradation.

          However, there is good news! As our new generation is going out into the workforce we can bring a positive influence to fight the lateral violence. In school we are taught to approach a problem through the chain of command, approaching the person first about an issue and moving up form there if nothing is done. Also, learning from our experiences, rise above and set an example by being the nurses who stop passing on the bullying. In addition, we can document these witnessed occurrences which could help in the future. According to the ANA, there has been legislation passed in California which helps fight this problem. Together, the new generation can change the face of bullying and eradicate it from the field of nursing.

References

Walrafen, N., Brewe, K., & Mulvenon, C. (2012).Sadly Caught Up in the Moment:

            An Exploration of Horizontal Violence. Nursing Economic, 30, 6-12, 49.

American Nurses Association (2013). Workplace Violence. Retrieved from             http://nursingworld.org/MainMenuCategories/Policy-Advocacy/State/Legislative-  Agenda-Reports/State-WorkplaceViolence

YouTube (2010). Lateral Violence in Nursing. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4McGxc6TRk8