After listening to a RN with 35 years of experience talk year after year about fellow employees, I got the chance to see if what they were saying was happening elsewhere. Through the years I noticed common themes of harassment/bullying, new nurses transferring or going back to school almost immediately, and new nurses quitting all together and finding a new occupation. It seemed over the years that the later topics were becoming more and more common.
Through my research I found right away that the nursing turnover rate has grown by 2.2% just since 2016. The rate now sits at 16.8%. Due to the high turnover, researchers are expecting to have a nursing shortage double of what we have experienced before just by 2025. About 30%-50% of RNs change positions or leave within their first three years. In an aging society were we depend so heavily on nurses, it is important that we figure out what exactly is causing this rising trend.
There is substantial research that points to horizontal bullying as a main factor in why the turnover rate with RNs is increasing. In a field of work that is as highly competitive as the medical field is, it is no surprise that it seems to be set up just for bullying. Where research is lacking is on how the administrations of hospitals are contributing to this problem.
For my research I talked to three different people: a RN with 35 years of experience, a RN with 2 years of experience, and a CNA with about 5 years of experience. I asked them first questions about if they had ever experienced some type of workplace bullying or harassment. The next part, which was what I mainly focused on, was if their answer was yes what happened next. I asked about what policies are in place for them to report said bullying, what policies are there to protect them when they do report, and what happens after the bullying is reported. I wanted to look at how the administration handles bullying and the signals that they may be sending employees about bullying. I found in my research that administrations are a huge factor in how much bullying takes place in a hospital. In the hospital where they had much stricter policies and procedures dealing with bullying, I found there to be a lower rate. The newer RN had yet to experience or witness any type of bullying in this hospital. On the other hand in the hospital where the more experienced RN worked, bullying seemed to be much more popular. I found that in this hospital bullying is often dealt with by a simple slap on the wrist. I also found that it is often dealt with by the victim getting transferred or let go in this hospital.
Just by looking into these two hospitals you are able to see how much the administration is impacting workplace bullying. It is very important to continue researching how administrations are contributing to workplace bullying. The bullying is having devastating affects on nurses motivation and job satisfaction, thus causing the increasing turnover rate.
I found the statistics helpful to illustrate how widespread this issue is, especially considering how many people are in the nursing and medical professions. I would have really enjoyed some quotes from the interviewees to better understand their perspectives in their own words, but I think you did a good job of incorporating your academic research with your interview findings.
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ReplyDeleteI have the same comment as earlier! I recommend checking the layout settings before publishing your blog post. There is a preview button as you're typing to double check photo and text layout. Like Natalie said, it would be a cool project/blog expansion to have quotes or audio recordings of the interviews.
ReplyDeleteIs there a reason you chose to study the nursing field? I wonder if the same statistics parallel other professions.
To build off of Hannah and Natalie's comments, I agree that these additions would be really cool, but I think a visual aspect could add a lot to the overall appeal of the post. Whether it be a video or photo, a visual aspect would create a lot of attention.
ReplyDeleteHow does the apply to emergency services or other departments within a hospital. How do you want to expand on this research? What was your biggest surprise with this research?
I think the post is great because both my parents work in hospitals and have discussed many of the things that you highlight. They often discuss that they wish different policies were in place and while that is just at the hospital that they work at, I found it interesting to hear of others experiences. I think you did a good job of writing it and were able to include the statistics about nursing and the medical field.
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