Incivility in Nursing and Healthful Environment Essay

The working environment is important for any occupation, but in nursing it becomes crucial. The matter is that nurses closely interact with patients and unfavorable work environment can cause undesirable outcomes. For example, scholars prove that workplace incivility is related to stress and burnout and the complex of these factors has to impact on nurses’ turnover intentions (Oyeleye, Hanson, O’Connor, & Dunn, 2013). Moreover, incivility, or workplace mistreatment, can influence nurse-assessed patient outcomes and even increase patient safety risk (Laschinger, 2014). Thus, there is a necessity to develop strategies that can be applied for creation of a healthful environment in healthcare facilities. The current paper analyzes the concept of incivility, focuses on the significance of incivility in nursing, suggests a practice-related incivility scenario, provides strategies for healthful environment creation and identifies how these strategies can be used in practice.Incivility in Nursing and Healthful Environment Essay

The Issue of Incivility

At present, researchers determine such types of workplace violence as incivility or bullying (Laschinger, 2014). They do not look serious but can have detrimental effects on activity. While workplace bullying is explained as “repeated and prolonged exposure to predominantly psychological mistreatment, directed at a target which is typically teased, badgered and insulted,” incivility “refers to low-intensity rude or disrespectful behaviors with an ambiguous intent to harm others and differs from bullying in terms of degree, duration, and intentionality” (Laschinger, 2014, p. 284). Within a workplace, incivility is defined as “‘ low-intensity deviant behavior with ambiguous intent to harm the target and violates workplace norms for mutual respect” (Oyeleye et al., 2013, p. 537). D’ambra and Andrews (2013) in their study about the interconnection of incivility and retention explain incivility as rude, discourteous and disrespectful behavior towards other individuals. On the whole, these definitions have much in common, and it can be concluded that there is no ambiguity in its definition.Incivility in Nursing and Healthful Environment Essay

Importance of Incivility to Nursing

Workplace incivility is frequently studied in the context of the nursing profession. It is considered to be one of the multiple turnover predictors. D’ambra and Andrews (2013) state that “incivility in the workplace decreases job satisfaction and organizational commitment while increasing stated intent to leave” (p. 735). Moreover, the authors investigate the impact of incivility on retention and new graduate nurses concluding that incivility is an issue which should be addressed during graduate nurse transition programs together with interventions aimed at the increase of satisfaction and retention rates (D’ambra & Andrews, 2013).

According to Oyeleye et al. (2013), workplace incivility has the impact on work environments. A hospital unit, which is a specific microsystem, has its work climate that is expected to reduce stress and prevent burnout. However, incivility negatively influences this microsystem interfering with the positive environment and increasing stress and burnout rates (Oyeleye et al., 2013). Finally, incivility has an impact on nursing profession on the whole and its primary goal, which is patient safety, in particular. Thus, Laschinger (2014) in his investigation of bullying and incivility from medical staff came to a conclusion that these factors are related to nurse-assessed adverse events and patient quality of care.Incivility in Nursing and Healthful Environment Essay

Incivility Scenario

Although healthcare facilities attempt to avoid incivility cases, they are still frequent. One of the scenarios in which incivility is evident is as follows. A young nurse came to a cardiac unit of a hospital after college. She was appointed to work with an experienced nurse who was supposed to train a graduate and control her activity. Nevertheless, a more experienced nurse did not want to waste time and did not explain the necessary manipulations properly. As a result, a graduate nurse could not gain self-confidence and work slower than other nurses who made some other staff members mock her. As a result, the work environment lost its positive character.

It is evident that incivility in the workplace should be prevented. To achieve this goal, it is necessary to develop strategies that will empower the creation of a healthful environment. One of the strategies that will contribute to healthful environment comprises targeted retention programs and policies “that will be sensitive to the needs and interests of nurses at high risk for leaving their organizations is imperative for nurse executives” (Oyeleye et al., 2013, p. 536). This strategy includes interventions that are supposed to reduce burnout and manage workplace stress. Moreover, it presupposes psychological empowerment which provides adaptive modes stimulating civil behavior.Incivility in Nursing and Healthful Environment Essay

Another strategy is workplace empowerment. It is primarily aimed at graduate nurses who start their career. D’ambra and Andrews (2013) believe that empowerment and a healthy work environment positively influence new graduate transition. According to the researchers, workplace empowerment comprises equal access to “opportunities, information, support, resources and relationships” for both experienced and novice staff members (D’ambra & Andrews, 2013, p. 739).