Bullying of Staff Registered Nurses in the Workplace: A Preliminary Study for Developing Personal and Organizational Strategies for the Transformation of Hostile to Healthy Workplace Environments
This study, published in the Journal of Professional Nursing, sought to validate the perceptions of frequency and patterns of bullying behavior experienced by registered nurses (RNs) across the United States. A 30-item anonymous electronic survey was used to identify the frequency, type, perpetrators, and personal and professional consequences of bullying. Findings from the overall population of 303 RN respondents (mean age of 49 years) indicated that 70% of the bullying was reported by a predominant group of staff RNs (n = 212). Perpetrators included senior nurses (24%), charge nurses (17%), nurse managers (14%), and physicians (8%) who publicly humiliated, isolated, excluded, or excessively criticized the staff nurses. Subsequent stress levels were reported as moderate or severe, and many left the workplace completely with or without jobs awaiting them.