The Impact Of Incivility In Nursing

The impact of incivility in the nursing profession can be devastating. A couple years ago, I went through a reconstruction at my current job and nurses and other staff were either fired or forced to resign who were thought to be low performers. I came on this unit with good intentions and to do the best that I could. I was reject by some people and, ignored and felt as if I was alone and scared. A particular nurse in thought would come in behind me on first shift and she would flat out tell me I don’t like coming in behind you because you try to spoil the patients and I don’t have time to finish what you started. After a few times hearing this I replied I just doing what I’m trained to do and that is to try to and meet each patient’s needs.

The managers would hear her down grading the staff and still would not do anything. I would go to one nurse who was over wound care crying and ask what can I do better. I just could not tolerate her mouth any more. She would tell me you continue to do what is best for the patients, and she would always point out my qualifications and she would remind me things are going to get better. The nurse would call me “empty head come and help with this IV. I did, not for her but the patient. Finally, they implemented the policy of Language of Caring. With this policy in mind I reflect a lot because the values they are teaching staff I already fulfill. I did not know incivility existed. Managers would validate her behavior as “this is just her demeanor she means no harm” just dismissing how I felt. She displays “behaviors that are distracting, annoying, irritating, and poor manners” (Black, 2014) even to the point of using these behaviors around patients, “taunting, using ethnic slurs, and intimidation, without physical contact” (Black,2014), and I am waiting for the day it backfires and she crosses the wrong path of someone she thought would tolerate her behavior. In the text I learned “you do not have to bully to claim power for yourself, and you do not have to acquiesce to bullying. Valuing others and treating each person with respect are core values in nursing” (Black,2014).