Confronting Nursing Incivility: Educational Intervention for Change

It is essential for nurses and nursing faculty to increase and implement interventions that decrease incivility within the nursing profession. Incivility is known by a variety of terms, such as workplace and lateral violence, abuse, and bullying, that are all detrimental to nursing (Clark, 2008). Workplace incivility continues to occur at an estimated astronomical cost of $24 billion annually in the U.S and severely impacts professional nursing practice, patient care, and nurses’ health and well-being (Andersson, 1999). A key component contributing to and motivating the development of educational strategies is the identification and articulation of learning outcomes. Learning outcomes by the end of this session include the participants’ ability 1) to identify and define workplace incivility as well as 2) to recognize and apply that knowledge when encountering discourteous, insolent, and bullying behaviors in both academic and clinical settings. Additionally, 3) participants will discuss the benefits of teamwork and describe strategies for creating positive behavior. Specific objectives related to the purpose of the learning activities will enable participants to apply knowledge for addressing incivility in any environment.

The purpose of this presentation is to examine strategies and interventions for confronting incivility. Topics include an incivility overview discussing causes, consequences, prevention through early detection, and the overall impact to the nursing profession. Educational strategies include communication skills and recommendations for nurses to confront and report uncivil behaviors (Clark, 2009). The discussion addresses conflict resolution, negotiation, assertiveness, personal accountability, patient safety, teamwork, and collaboration. Audience participation will enhance the learning environment.

In the past few years efforts to address the problem have focused on identifying and defining perpetrators and behaviors that characterize incivility as well providing recommendations for improvement. The Joint Commission zero-tolerance policy and codes of conduct are steps in the right direction that require nursing commitment, promotion, and the enforcement of meaningful evidenced-based interventional solutions (Hoffman & Chunta, 2015). The American Nurses Association also strongly advocates addressing this serious problem among nurses and healthcare workers. Nurses are aware of the issues however there needs to be widespread educational opportunities offered to ensure that nursing faculty and clinicians implement these interventions. One recommendation is that educational interventions become part of the National Council of the States Board of Nursing continuing educational requirements as well as a component of nursing student education.

Although incivility is most common against nursing students, new graduate nurses are the most vulnerable to abusive behavior and leave their jobs within the first two years of employment (D’ambra,& Andrews, 2014). Several studies concluded that faculty could play a pivotal role in examining how students are socialized into the nursing profession by providing the appropriate training and coping skills within the nursing curriculum (Altmiller, 2012). The time has come for nursing educational leadership to confront incivility by changing the status quo with meaningful educational interventions thus preserving the ethical and moral fabric that exemplifies the nursing profession.

Through the adoption of skills such as conflict resolution, problem solving, personal accountability, and respectful communication the participant recognizes positive behavior and addresses negative actions. Ultimately, the participant will be able to employ the benefits of teamwork and positive behavior as part of the solution to incivility.