Bullying among Registered Nurses in Workplace - 1650 Words

Bullying among Registered Nurses in Workplace (Term Paper Sample) Content: Bullying Among Registered Nurses in the WorkplaceNameAffiliated Institution Bullying Among Registered Nurses in the WorkplaceProblem Description Health care professionals have reported increasing g number of cases related to either bullying or lateral violence. Among registered nurses, cases of bullying are rampant resulting in a negative impact among colleagues, employers, and patient outcome. It has become cumbersome to retain nurses in a health facility despite the quality of staff due to bullying. Bullying is a vice that should be discouraged in socialization within the nursing profession relationship. It is advisable for all organizations and stakeholders in the health care to execute the policy of zero tolerance to bullying. The guidelines, professional codes of conduct, or behavioral interventions should be instituted in order to assist in solving disruptive behaviors such as bullying (American Nurses Association, 2001). The aim of this paper is to identify, de scribe bullying as it is amenable to nursing intervention, and establish reasons calling for change in nursing practice. Bullying is an abusive offense that is malicious, intimidating, or insulting behavior. It is related to abuse of power or position by a group or an individual. The victims feel humiliated, upset, vulnerable or threatened. The target populations are registered nurses, employers, and patients because they all suffer the consequences of bullying. The change will be planned to take care of the stakeholders in a health organization such as a hospital. Registered nurses who suffer from bullying, experience stress when their self confidence is undermined. In most cases, higher authority such as supervisors, medical superintendent, or senior colleagues, bully staff nurse in a persistent, ongoing, and systemic manner. These staff nurses cannot render services efficiently and effectively because the work under stress, fear, and intimidation. Patients suffer because they rec eive low quality services resulting in a poor patient outcome. The employer cannot retain staff despite their quality of work (Center for American Nurses, 2007). Bullied nurses request for transfers or they change profession to areas they feel comfortable. The target population in the evidence based plan will cover the registered nurses, employers, and patients. The setting for the plan will be within a health care organization. A hospital will be the appropriate place because brings together stakeholders; employer, registered nurses, and patients. The plan will aim at eliminating bullying, a disruptive behavior, in the setting of a hospital. Bullying causes emotional exhaustion among the registered nurses in the workplace. Nurses in a hospital where bullying practiced by either senior colleagues or higher authority are less likely to perform in their work (Lowenstein, March 03, 2013). In the circumstances, they make errors in medication; provide unsafe patient care leading to adver se patient outcomes. Nursing authorities, as the main advocates for nurses communications, comprehend the impact of bullying and disruptive behavior to either positive working relationship or environment for the retention and recruitment of registered nurses. Bullying is a behavior, which is not tolerated nursing profession. Early evidence based studies have established that several avenues exist to curb the vice of bullying. Organizations work hard to decrease the rate of negative behaviors such as bullying. It is unique to find evidence that some nurses with forms of therapeutic education and effective communication experience had a much lower rate of bullying. Their intensity when bullying occurs is minimal, therefore suggesting that therapeutic education and effective communication can minimize the bullying rate in hospitals (Rocker, August 29, 2008). The data will contribute information specific to facilities; indispensable in planning for an intervention strategy to develop effective communication skills, reinforce a culture of collaboration, and reduce bullying behaviors, which have significant influence in the retention and recruitment of nurses. A high incidence rate of bullying in the workplace has been reported in various health care organizations. This has been substantiated by several evidence based studies in different hospitals. It was observed that bullying among registered nurses in the workplace such as a health facility resulted in low quality services and poorer outcomes. The outcome affected nurses at personal levels, in addition to, impacting negatively on employers and patients who are the main stakeholders in a health care system (Schroder, 2013). Bullied nurses have complained of being uncomfortable at the workplace due to intimidation experienced.Identification of Clinical GuidelineThe plan will use the CENTER for American Nurses clinical guideline recommendations to address the problem of bullying among registered nurses. The guide line has strategic avenues to eliminate bullying. It is organized to target nurses, healthcare organizations and employers, continuing education, research, and policy making. It recommends the nursing fraternity to adopt professional models that will ensure ethical behaviors (American Nurses Association, 2001). They are supposed to recognize and address bullying, reflect and correct both the behavior and communication, participate in preventing abuse, and work towards achieving the vision, mission and values in the workplace.The guideline expects health organizations and employers to implement the policy of zero tolerance against bullying through the provision of sufficient and effective safeguards to the accused registered nurses (American Association of Critical-Care Nurses, 2004). The employers are required to develop effective communication and encourage registered nurses and other professionals to embrace respect for colleagues. They are expected to promote a culture ensuring s afety of registered nurses, supporting victims of bullying, and providing both counseling and education for perpetrators and victims of lateral violence such as bullying. The guideline proposes programs for continuous education among registered nurses in order to disseminate crucial information. Education will address the problem of bullying, develop strategies on how to curb it, and evaluate the effectiveness of interventions against bullying. The guideline recommends research on registered nurses to establish the factors contributing to the perpetuation of disruptive behaviors. Nursing research will develop previous studies, explore and come up with innovative strategies to the problem, in addition to, assessing the impact of the existing interventions (American Nurses Association, 2001). The guideline advocates for nursing policy, which apart from instituting regulations, standards of service, code of conduct, and legislation, the policy will ensure the safety of all registered n urses in delivering services to patients. The policies will increase nurses participation in legislatives to address bullying. The operational definition of the guideline intervention will constitute the determination of patient outcome, conditions of registered nurses, and success of organizations and employers in both retention and recruitment of registered nurses as compared to the time prior to the intervention. The expected results of intervention with this guideline include; improved patient outcome, comfortable working environment for registered nurses, and success in recruiting and retaining registered nurses by healthcare organizations and employers (Center for American Nurses, 2007). The research evidence supports the intervention because it improves the situation for all stakeholders; registered nurses, patients, employers and healthcare organizations in general. The benefits of implementing the guideline are better than the current situation. It is the interest of the he althcare system to ensure efficient working conditions for excellent patient outcome. The guideline will ensure improved patient outcome, registered nurses operate in a good workplace, and healthcare organizations and employer recruit and retain registered nurses.Research Evidence In a study by Schroder (2013), he explored bullying among registered nurses and its effect on nurses retention, emotions, operational cost, and patient care. The research used questionnaires to survey behaviors of 102 registered nurses in North Carolina regional hospital. The study found that bullied nurses wanted to leave the facility and that nurses with communication skills perceived bullying less often. The study was significant because it suggested that bullying make it difficult to retain nurses, and communication skills can reduce the effects of bullying. In an empirical research by Lowenstein (2013), he reviewed recent studies to investigate the impact of bullying in the workplace. The systemic stu dy found that bullies discredit the nursing profession; resulting in a negative impact of quality of care, organization, and retention of nurses. The study is significant because it recommended policies of zero tolerance to bullying. In a study by Rocker (2008), the consequences of bullying in the workplace were explored in order to raise awareness. The systemic study investigated the impact of bullying among victims and highlighted the steps against the vice. It found that bullying resulted in nurses shortage, silent suffering, and reduced productivity. The legal response supported victims and instituted strategic response to prevent bullying amon...