Lateral Violence in Nursing
Introduction
Lateral violence is more prevalent in nursing than many people can anticipate (Sanner-Stiehr, & Ward-Smith, 2017). It is postulated that at least every nurse has witnessed or experienced it at some point in their career. While it might not take visible physical combat, lateral or horizontal violence in nursing majorly involves non-physical abuse that mainly occurs between co-workers in the workplace. They include both covert and overt behaviors of nonverbal and verbal aggression that can reduce nurses’ morale in undertaking their work. The impacts of lateral violence are far-reaching and can extend beyond psychological and emotional distress. It reduces victims’ morale and thus negatively affects the provision of optimal nursing care to patients (Sanner-Stiehr, & Ward-Smith, 2017). Everyone deserves to work in a healthy and serene work environment. Therefore senior employees in the medical field are urged to approach their juniors with the same energy of compassion and respect they would wish to reciprocate.
Background
Reports have those newly graduated nurses are the primary victims of horizontal violence’s adverse sequelae ( Bambi et al. 2019). However, a better way to deal with this issue at a much manageable level is to prepare a nursing student to counter various lateral violence types. This research seeks to investigate lateral violence in nursing and determine suitable ways to break the recurrent cycle of violence in the medical sector. This research also recommends the evaluation of three strategies that can prepare nursing students to manage this phenomenon and reduce the causes of lateral violence in n nursing. First, the nursing curriculum content can help alleviate the problem of horizontal violence by providing a relatable simulation of that violence and transforming it into clinical experiences of nursing. Secondly, exploring on code of ethics that should guide the behaviors of nurses. Finally, the faculty should be aware of its responsibility in fostering respectful communication among nurses and developing nurses to respond to lateral violence correctly.
Reference
Sanner-Stiehr, E., & Ward-Smith, P. (2017). Lateral violence in nursing: implications and strategies for nurse educators. Journal of Professional Nursing, 33(2), 113-118.
Bambi, S., Guazzini, A., Piredda, M., Lucchini, A., De Marinis, M. G., & Rasero, L. (2019). Negative interactions among nurses: An explorative study on lateral violence and bullying in nursing work settings. Journal of nursing management, 27(4), 749-757.