Incivility in Nursing: Creating a Healthy Work Environment

Running head: NURSING ASSIGNMENT
NURSING ASSIGNMENT
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author Note:

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Introduction:
Incivility can be defined as a form of rude or unsociable behaviour. It can be defined
as a condition where an employee experiences an impolite behaviour or an offensive
comment (Muliara et al., 2017). In recent times, incivility and bullying have emerged out to
be complicated issues in nursing. A number of evidences state that incivility is on the rise
within healthcare organizations and are eliciting a negative implication on the care
professionals as well as the patients (Minton et al., 2018; Laschinger et al., 2013). This essay
would talk about the instance of incivility within the nursing profession and formulate a plan
for the creation of a healthy work environment.
Issue of incivility:
According to Rad and Moonaghi (2016), instances of incivility, bullying and violence
have become common in the nursing profession globally. According to a research study
conducted by Bambi et al. (2018), it has been estimated that approximately 67.5% to 90.4%
of the Nurses experience one episode of workplace incivility in their professional career.
Also, the research study indicated that the prevalence percentage of Lateral Violence varied
in between 1% to 87.4% and that of bullying ranged in between 2.4% to 81% (Bambi et al.,
2018). The National Institute of Occupational Safety has subdivided violence experienced by
Nurses under four categories that include, Criminal Intent where in there is no clear
relationship between the victim and the perpetrator and the violence is committed with a
criminal intent (ANA, 2019). The second category forms the most common type of violence
that Nurses experience within healthcare setting and it involves the clients (ANA, 2019). The
crime involves the client or a family member of a client assaulting the nurse within the
healthcare setting. The third category comprises the ‘worker-on-worker violence’ which is
also known as bullying and is practiced by the fellow colleagues (ANA, 2019). The fourth

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category includes a special case of ‘Personal Relationship’ where the offender targets and
assaults the victim on account of a previous personal grudge within the healthcare setting
(ANA, 2019). It should be critically noted in this context that the categories of violence
discussed above are not merely restricted to physical violence but also include instances of
psychological, emotional and verbal abuse. Research studies have indicated that the impact of
incivility on the nursing profession leads to above 25% of the nurses burnout globally
(Oyeleye et al., 2013; Wing et al., 2015). In addition to this, it should also be noted that
workplace incivility leads to poor mental health and job satisfaction level in Nurses (Oyeleye
et al., 2013). Where there is an ever increasing demand of Nursing professionals to address
the problem of nursing shortage globally, incivility seems to aggravate the issue by
exponentially increasing the percentage of Nurses burnout. Therefore, it is extremely
important to focus on the issue of incivility and adapt effective measures to control the
problem.
Practical Scenario:
I have personally experienced multiple incidences of incivility during my previous
clinical placement. My direct supervisor was RN X who was supposed to be my mentor and
was expected to assist me. RN X often made sexist remark that was directed to me. He would
often joke inappropriately about my physical appearance and on multiple occasions touched
me inappropriately. He would make me wait even after my shift hours and tie me up with
unnecessary trivial tidings and would utilise the opportunity to request for a physical contact.
He would even send me inappropriate texts and videos on social media and indicated sexual
gestures at me. I had been vulnerable at that stage because this happened during my first
clinical placement. I had never been exposed to a similar kind of incidence before and I was
deeply shaken with the experience. I felt too scared and insecure to report as I did not wish to
be terminated because of my behaviour and RN X seemed to have a respectable image within