How To Address Nurse Bullying and Incivility

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It may have been a comment you heard long before graduating from nursing school — the one about nurses “eating their young.” It’s a statement that is unfortunately true for some nurses. For a profession seen as the most honest and ethical, it would seem unlikely that nurse bullying could be an issue that many nurses face. But the bullying that some nurses face hastens their departure from the profession and leads to high turnover rates and contributes to the already severe nursing shortage.

Bullying can often start in nursing school, with one report stating that 78% of nursing students experience bullying while in school. This bullying trend continues after school and can affect nurses in all areas of practice and healthcare settings. These behaviors should never be tolerated and can lead to nurse burnout and unsafe working conditions

And bullying isn’t the only issue. There is also the problem of general incivility. To quote the American Nurses Association, “Incivility is one or more rude, discourteous, or disrespectful actions that may or may not have a negative intent behind them.” In addition to bullying, incivility is frequently encountered by nurses from other nurses.

Signs of nurse bullying and incivility

Bullying and incivility in the workplace can take many forms, from obvious bullying to more subtle insults. Some signs of nurse bullying can include:

Frequently being put down by others
Rude responses to questions
Spreading gossip, rumors, or lies about someone
Micromanaging aggressively and inappropriately
Being deliberately given patient assignments that are difficult or unsafe
Rude or aggressive comments via email or text
Gaslighting
Yelling

In some cases, bullying and incivility can escalate into threats of violence. It bears mentioning that, of course, none of these behaviors are acceptable in any way. If experienced, any instance should be reported. Let’s discuss how else bullying or incivility in the workplace should be handled by nurses.

What to do if being bullied

The American Nurses Association has suggestions on what to do if you’re a nurse experiencing bullying. The first is to know the policies at your workplace. Knowing where to locate them and what they say is important.

If you feel comfortable doing so, address the bullying behavior with the perpetrator. This may be difficult for some, but if you can do it, having those discussions can be helpful and important. If you’re feeling unsafe, it’s OK to skip this. Your safety is important.

Report bullying if you’re experiencing it. Each facility may have a different means of reporting this behavior, which is why it’s important to know and follow your organization’s bullying policy. Another important thing to do is to document every step of your process. As a nurse, you’re already used to documenting on your patients, and it’s critical to do it for yourself as well. Document those individuals involved, their behaviors, dates, times, and what was said. Document who you told and when.