Incivility in Nursing Education

Clark (2009) extends the definition of incivility to incorporate both the behaviors (rude and disruptive) and their effect, that is, psychological or physiological distress. Academic incivility encompasses behaviors that disrupt or interfere with the teaching and learning environment (Clark & Springer, 2010). Incivility can progress from low risk behaviors, such as eye rolling to develop into threatening behaviors if left unaddressed. Incivility in nursing education is documented as a mild to moderate problem that increases with personal and environmental stressors. Undergraduate students and faculty at a Midwest university were asked to complete the Incivility in Higher Education scale. The majority of students and faculty identified disruptive student behavior as a mild problem, 56% and 54% respectively. Disruptive faculty behavior was perceived by students as no problem (41%) or a mild problem (45%). Faculty perceived disruptive faculty behaviors as mild (56%) or moderate problem (32%). Each term cohort reported unique contributors to student incivility. Term 2 students reported being treated unfairly, not respected. In response, students act out defensively and may be unaware of appropriate respectful behavior toward faculty. Term 3 students identified ineffective teaching style as a major contributor to uncivil behavior, reporting that faculty was “out of touch” requiring long hours of classroom work. Term 4 students reported feeling belittled and disrespected by both peers and faculty. Responses on how to create a culture of civility included increased awareness of uncivil and bullying behaviors, a committee and policy to address incivility, civility expectations to be shared in orientation and in classes, the inclusion of classes on de-stressing and coursework focused on teaching students “best practice” for handling conflicts. Focused attention on creating a culture of civility needs to be a priority of every school of nursing as uncivil behaviors in nursing education may extend to incivility in the workplace.