Workplace violence in Nurse Education: An Issue of Workforce Retention.

Abstract

Bullying and harassment is sadly too prevalent in nursing, causing victims work-based stress that can affect not only the individual but also quality of care and their perspective on the profession. Such negative experiences can impact on victim’s professional development and whether they decide to remain in the profession on qualification. The aim of the survey was to assess impact of workplace violence, in the form of bullying and harassment, on nursing student’s experience during placement and to make recommendations for education and placement providers. This is a qualitative study adopting a descriptive phenomenological approach. The study was conducted between June and July 2015. Open-ended questions were uploaded in the format of a commercial internet survey provider (SurveyMonkey.com) and distributed across a sample of nursing schools in the UK. The number of respondents was 657. Responses of students were analysed and coded by using thematic content analysis. Responses of students were grouped under three main themes and some sub-themes. These main themes are (1) Culture of nursing, (2) Acceptance of the culture and (3) Impact of the culture. Many indicated they experienced workplace violence and it made them consider leaving nursing. Some had normalized the poor behaviours as part of nursing. In conclusion, current students are the future of the profession and have a key role in shaping the culture for generations to come. Workplace violence, in the form of bullying and harassment, is prevalent and can negatively influence their view of the profession and their professional development. Universities and placement providers need to work together to reduce the incidence and impact of workplace violence in order to improve the culture of practice and foster a more positive image of the profession.