Ask a Nurse: How to Combat Nurse Bullying in the Workplace

In our Ask a Nurse series, experienced nurses provide an insider look at the nursing profession by answering your questions about nursing careers, degrees, and resources.

You may have heard of nurses “eating their young,” which refers to experienced nurses bullying or harassing newer nurses. With COVID-19 being the highest priority in healthcare, nurse bullying may not seem to be of the greatest importance, but it is still a problem in the nursing profession today.

Nurses also call new graduates “baby nurses,” implying these nurses are too young or too new. Jenna Liphart Rhoads, Ph.D., nurse educator, says this phrasing leads to newer nurses feeling inexperienced and undervalued.

Unfortunately, bullying can be found throughout nursing regardless of experience. Maybe you’ve been bullied or witnessed it yourself. How do you deal with the situation when bullying arises?

Combating nurse bullying as a new nurse is challenging. Don’t feel like you have to do it alone. Experienced nurses and nurse leaders can help combat new nurse bullying by:

“Nurse leaders can combat bullying by promptly identifying bullying behavior directly to the bully,” Rhoads says. “Nurse managers should cultivate an environment of safety and encourage reporting of bullying behavior.”

There is no wrong or right way to combat nurse bullying as long as you aren’t violent in words or actions. When you spot bullying, try calling out the action itself but calling in the person.

Calling someone in is a less reactionary way to deal with conflict. It looks like pulling someone aside and speaking with them privately about their actions.

After addressing the behavior, be sure to hold the person bullying accountable for a change in behavior moving forward, too.

If you call out bullying and speak with the nurse about their behavior, you’re dealing with bullying the right way. If you’re experiencing bullying yourself, escalating the situation to a manager is also a way to combat bullying when calling out the behavior isn’t safe or effective.

As defined by the Joint Commission, workplace bullying is referred to as lateral or horizontal violence that is “repeated, health-harming mistreatment of one or more persons (the targets) by one or more perpetrators.”

Bullying can come in different forms, and new nurses who experience it should be aware.

In a recent Occupational Safety and Health Administration report on healthcare workplace violence:

Another study reported over 30% of new nurses reported bullying.

The impact of bullying on new nurses leads to:

The culture of nurses bullying in the workplace is a perpetual cycle. It is often downplayed by management using phrases like “they are always like that” or “they didn’t mean it.”

At some facilities, bullying is blatantly ignored.

Donna F. Brown, a retired nurse, recalls an incident with another nurse grabbing a chart out of her hand, then implying she was interviewing the patient incorrectly. When Brown reported the nurse, no action was taken.

“Similarly, going through the hospital’s grievance process brought no satisfactory resolve,” Brown says.

As a result of bullying, Brown says she was reluctant to come to work. Ske often felt tired and depressed while working.

“Despite all odds, I still delivered high-quality nursing care to my patients because that was what was expected of me, and moreover, that was my work ethic,” Brown says.

However, because of the repeated bullying, increased nurse burnout, and overall dissatisfaction with nursing, Brown left the profession.

The origin of nursing and bullying is well documented. Stories of sabotage and verbal abuse can be found as far back as the 1970s. The phrase “nurses eat their young” is still relevant today. It is used internationally and has been used for over 30 years.

Literature reviews trace back to the hierarchical nature of the nursing practice as one of the causes of nurse bullying. One literature review points out nurses bully because of:

New nurses report incidences of bullying higher during the first three months after receiving their license. The reason why? Nurses cite bullying as a rite of passage for new nurses or a norm against newly licensed nurses.

Brown believes fear is a driving force to bullying in nursing.

“In my opinion,” says Brown, “fear of appearing incompetent, lack of teamwork, lack of respect for nursing coworkers, and stressful and demanding working conditions are among the most significant factors that contribute to nurse bullying.”

If you are bullied or witness someone being bullied in the workplace, know that it is serious and should not be taken lightly. Here are a few actionable recommendations:

Nurse leaders are responsible for supporting nurses’ mental health and cultivating an environment that is safe for their nurses. Here are a few actionable recommendations to combat bullying: