Lateral Violence: A Case Study

Lateral violence is a major issue that often occurs within the healthcare setting, and it places great impact on the delivery of healthcare. I personally have experienced being a victim of lateral violence within my current workplace setting. In November 2014, I began a new job working with patients dealing with alcohol and substance addiction. I came onto the job with an ADN, while there was an older male nurse with a BSN who started the same time I did. This nurse was assigned to a work a supervisory position on a higher-level monitoring detoxification/behavioral unit. I noticed that there were times when myself, as well as other female nurses, would need to communicate to him that a patient needed to be more closely monitored. On several

occasions, this nurse would raise his voice at myself and the other female nurses in a verbally demeaning manner. One day in particular, I recall asking him to speak to the doctor before sending a patient down to my unit who was legally blind. He inappropriately yelled at me, “Oh, I’m about to shut that down! The patient is coming down to the unit!” When I tried to explain my concerns, he hung up the phone in my face. I promptly called my nurse manager to report this situation so that it could be addressed.
It is so important that lateral violence be addressed, because it greatly affects the peace of the work environment. It can make a person feel belittled, intimidated, fearful, and anxious. Not only is the healthcare worker unable to provide quality care to the patients, but they also struggle within themselves having become a victim of lateral violence. This causes a major disturbance within the atmosphere of the workplace, effecting both the healthcare workers and the patients.