Photo credit: Impactednurse.com
Cultural Competence and Civility
Resources
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Clark, C. M., & Springer, P. J. (2010). Academic nurse
leaders role in fostering civility in nursing
education. Journal of Nursing
Education, 49(6), 319-324.
Synthesis: After reading this article, I was very surprised to discover the degree of hostility in nursing school, not just among the students but involving faculty as well. While any nurse will attest to the overwhelming stress level of nursing school, there remains no excuse for such behaviors. Despite awareness of the trend, the incidents of incivility are still on the rise. Several good techniques for dealing with and preventing such incivility are reviewed and follow up actions are discussed as well.
Rating - 4 All nurses, students and educators should read this and become informed of this shameful, yet escalating trend.
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Ferriss, Abbott L. (2000). ‘‘Civility as a Sociological
Concept.’’ Paper presented at the annual
meeting of the Mid-South Sociological
Association, Knoxville, TN
Synthesis: This article utilizes survey questions to assess if civility is on the decline among general members of society. After reviewing 3 decades of information, the author concludes that there was a small but measurable decrease in civility over the last 30 years.
Rating - 2 An interesting survey and data collection method, but information is purely subjective.
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Joint Commission (2008). Behaviors that undermine a culture of safety. Retrieved from
http://www.jointcommission.org/assets/1/18/SEA_40.PDF
Synthesis: When Joint Commission releases a statement on disruptive behavior in healthcare, it cannot be ignored. This article discusses several ways incivility and disruptive behavior puts patients safety at risk and decreases employee satisfaction. Additionally, methods for addressing and countering such behaviors are discussed with reminders that retaliation for reporting bullying behavior is considered a form of incivility.
Rating - 4 A must read for all, should be mandatory in nursing school and new employee training.
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Stokowski, L. (2010).
A matter of respect and dignity: Bullying in the nursing profession.
Retrieved from http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/729474_1
Synthesis: Bullying in nursing can take many forms, from overt aggressive behavior such as verbal altercations down to subtle, passive aggressive actions such as ignoring an employee or hiding/hoarding supplies. Both forms are similarly destructive to employee morale and retention. This article discusses the role leadership holds and their obligation to counsel individuals who engage in such behaviors as well as set clear rules that such actions will not be tolerated and will be dealt with accordingly.
Rating - 4 Another must read for all levels of healthcare providers, not just nurses.
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Reflection
This module was very profound for me as I have all too often seen firsthand episodes of bullying and incivility among healthcare workers. Such behavior is very detrimental to the morale of staff members and can lead to increased employee turnover, poor teamwork within the unit and increased absenteeism. In fact, I can personally relate to one nurse who utilized such behaviors to intimidate new nurses into doing extra work she would have otherwise have had to do. While I knew that my hospital had a disruptive behavior policy in place, I had no idea it originated from a Joint Commission position statement. I also did not realize that bullying occurred in nursing school to the degree that it does. I was very fortunate to have not experienced that firsthand, but after reading the material I decided to make a point of speaking with other nurses and many had horrible stories about just such behavior in nursing school. One nurse said she even went as far as to transfer to another program because she simply could not tolerate it. While I had always heard the phrase "Nurses eat their young" I had no idea it began at such an early place in careers. Since this module, I have made it a point to monitor how new employees and students are treated in our office as it really opened my eyes to how some healthcare workers are treated.