detrimental impact on individuals

detrimental impact on individuals

Discussion Post

Incivility in health care settings can have a detrimental impact on individuals, teams, and organizations (Clark, 2018). The American Nurses Association (ANA) Code of Ethics for Nurses with Interpretive Statements clearly articulates the nurse’s obligation to foster safe, ethical, civil workplaces (Clark, 2015).

Description Work Environment Assessment Results

The Clark healthy workplace inventory results revealed that I work in a very unhealthy work environment. After completing the assessment, my total score was less than 50. A score of less than 50 indicates a very unhealthy work environment. In the patient care environment, an unhealthy work environment can provoke uncertainty and self-doubt, weaken self-confidence, and compromise critical thinking and clinical judgment skills (Clark, Olender, Cardoni, & Kenski, 2011). I was not entirely surprised that the assessment revealed an unhealthy work environment because it is entirely accurate, as evidenced by the results. My workplace is characterized by rude, discourteous, and lack of regard for others, creating low morale among employees, stress, and hostility, and thus incivility. This abnormality has been adopted as the norm, thus forming a culture of bullying, rudeness, and other incivility set by a dictatorial head of the organization, trickling down through the ranks (Bar-David S. 2018). Employees’ efforts and input are not being recognized and appreciated.

Incivility experienced in the workplace

I have experienced incivility at my workplace in many forms, patterns, shapes, and sizes. One example of my experience is when one of my patients was incontinent. I work in a mental health care facility, so we seldom have incontinent patients. We were short-staffed as usual, and I was busy passing meds and providing care for other patients in order to catch up. The assigned tech walked up to me to tell me that my patient needs to be changed. At first, I thought she needed help with changing the patient, so I offered to help when I finish passing meds. However, she told me that she does not need help, but she is wants me to go change my patient-delegating with quite an attitude-rolling her eyes. I quietly walked to the manager’s office to make a report about how unruly and unprofessional the tech had conducted herself. The manager called her in the office to ask what happened. She narrated the same event. Without reprimanding her, the manager turned to me yelling that tech has not received training on how to change patients and that I should go do it since I went to school, and I have a license. She also reminded me that techs do not have any license to be revoked by the BON as nurses do. I felt very disappointed and frustrated, but I went ahead and changed the patient and continued my day in fear of losing my license if I do not do as ordered. Having the managers reminding the nurses consistently that they could lose their nursing license creates the most significant stress and anxiety in my workplace. The managers’ mastermind gossips, favoritism, and unruly behaviors by the techs. They remain partial in their judgment, especially when it involves the staff member the prefer.

One of the reasons why I chose to go back to school to obtain my master’s degree is due to the ongoing incivility at my workplace. One may wonder if it is that bad, why work there? I love what I do, and I know that the patients need me, and I choose to remain there for the sake of my patients. As nurses, we need to learn and practice skills to address uncivil encounters, organization leaders and managers must create an environment where nurses feel free and empowered to speak up, especially regarding patient safety issues. All of us must strive to create and sustain healthy work environments where we communicate clearly and effectively and manage conflict in a respectful, responsible way (Clark, 2018).