Nursing Incivility in the Workplace Essay

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Introduction

Incivility is a problem in many nursing workplaces around the world and it is a problem because people from time to time forget what it is they are there to do. The nurse is there to serve the patient and to support other nurses in their duties to the patient. However, nurses can become unhappy, dissatisfied, angry and unfriendly. They can bully one another, neglect one another, and cause emotional harm in the workplace. Incivility can lead to declines in nursing quality care (Lachman, 2015). This paper will define the issue of incivility, describe its importance to nursing, provide an example of it in a short story, explain how a healthful environment can be created, and, finally, discuss the practice application of this issue on nursing.

Issue of Incivility

What is incivility? The American Nurses Association (2015) has defined it as a complex manifestation of disregard and insensitivity for others. Stanton (2015) explained incivility in a workplace setting as “individuals openly or secretly directing their dissatisfaction with their work settings at co-workers of equal or lower levels within an organization” (p. 7). While dissatisfaction towards a place or people may not seem like a significant issue, the manner in which it is manifested can have a severely negative effect on the workplace culture and the feelings, attitudes, beliefs and morale of others (Manojlovich & Ketefian, 2016). Moreover, the issue is complicated by the fact that there is no one-size-fits-all definition or expression of incivility: “Some harmful actions may be more overt, such as making demeaning comments or using intimidation to undermine a coworker. Other forms of incivility and bullying can be more covert, such as failing to intervene or withholding vital information when actions are clearly indicated and needed for work to be done in a safe manner” (American Nurses Association, 2015, p. 2). Identifying incivility and addressing it effectively in the workplace is both important and difficult to do, but it is something that must be addressed in order to prevent nurses from becoming detached from their work and indifferent to their duties, colleagues and patients.

Importance to Nursing

The issue of incivility is important to nursing because it represents a critical attack on the very essence of nursing itself: nursing is about nurturing and providing quality care to others. Nurses must interact in a positive manner not just with patients but also with each other because they rely upon one another for moral support, guidance, and continuity of care. If nurses write one another off or act abusively or derisively towards one another, they disrupt the very fabric of solidarity that they are meant to represent, and that in turn disrupts the quality of care they show to patients (Lachman, 2015). As Manojlovich and Ketefian (2016) show, organizational culture is very important to the nurse’s ability to perform at a high level and provide quality care to patients.

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The culture has to be supportive, positive, and encouraging—and incivility undermines that culture and fosters an environment that is negative, hurtful, and destructive. And as Stanton (2015) points out, incivility is an action that oftentimes nurses do not even realize they doing. Therefore, it is important to the individual nurses, to the microsystem work environment and to the profession of nursing to identify the issue and address it.

Storytelling

Becky was covering a shift for Amy and so was pulling double-duty in the nursing workplace. She was already tired from a long weekend and she needed a break. The supervisor knew that Becky had been very helpful and accommodative so far so told her to take…

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…can use to better understand, identify and address incivility in their own behaviors and in the workplace; and 2) to help in the development of a workplace culture that is supportive and positive by designing a nursing peer review process that nurses can use to better themselves, their attitudes and their behaviors in the workplace. By developing a tutorial, I could provide nurses with the knowledge they need to make changes, and with the nursing peer review I could provide nurses with the tool they need to make the change. Knowledge plus tool equals an effective change strategy overall. Finally, through my own example and demonstration as a leader, I could facilitate the process of development.

Conclusion

Incivility can become a problem in the nursing workplace as it undermines the good will and intentions that nurses may have towards one another and creates a hostile environment in which distrust and animosity can fester and corrupt the nursing practice, putting patients and nurses at risk. Incivility can often go unnoticed and unrealized by those who do it. Thus there is a need for nurses to be educated about what it is and why it is dangerous for the nursing workplace. Strategies to create healthful environments include training the nurses to recognize and address incivility; developing an authentic organizational culture that rewards, supports and fosters positive and supportive workplace attitudes and behaviors; and promoting a tool that nurses can use to better themselves personally and professionally, such as the nursing peer review tool. In my specialty track of education, I could assist in this process by developing a tutorial that teaches nurses to identify incivility and address it within themselves and their workplace in a positive manner. I can contribute to cultivating healthful environments in my future professional practice by being mindful of my….....

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