NR 500 Week 7 Discussion: Healthful Environments

NR 500 Week 7 Discussion: Healthful Environments

Week 7: Healthful Environments

Reflect on an experience in which you were directly involved or witnessed incivility in the workplace. Provide a brief synopsis of the situation. How did this make you feel? How did you respond? What were the consequences of this situation? Provide an example of how this negatively affected the work environment and outcomes. How could the situation have been prevented? Discuss strategies that would support a healthy work environment.

Discussion: Healthful Environments SAMPLE

Incivility in the workplace is a prevalent concern in nursing and healthcare settings. The knowledge of incivility and lateral violence in nursing is not an uncommon issue. It has been around for decades and remains a strong presence in nursing today. This causes me great sadness for the profession I hold dear. Uncivil workplace behaviors can be characterized as rude and discourteous, with no regard for others (Phillips, Smith, MacKusick, & Whichello, 2018). This repeated act that is essentially bullying, whether verbally or silently, can lead to absenteeism, low job satisfaction and morale, burnout, poor productivity, mental, and physical health problems for the recipient of this poor treatment (Phillips, et al., 2018). The nursing profession must take a continual stand against incivility to assure the safety and well-being of our nurses and ultimately our patients whose care can be affected by work incivility.

As a nurse of many years, I have been witness to and also the target of workplace incivility. As a novice NICU nurse many years ago, I remember the leadership in my department setting an intimidating tone for new employees. There were cliques and gossiping that ultimately led to low morale and fear. This is truly a sad and dangerous place to be when caring for the precious lives of others. In an ICU setting, nurses need to be able to work as a team to deliver effective care. The ability to discuss care situations with colleagues and receive their input in a supportive, non-judgmental way is how nurses grow in their knowledge and expertise, ultimately fine tuning their trade. When intimidation and condescending attitudes are present, nurses will question their ability to provide good care and may eventually leave the department or the profession.