Ending Nurse-to-Nurse Hostility (Book)

"It's about time that nurses have a practical and timely book for assessing and eliminating the horizontal violence that marks so much of our professional life.

This book focuses on the origin and nature of the mutual violence and negativity (horizontal hostility) we have exhibited with each other and upon our colleagues for so long. It suggests ways to deal with it and move toward more healthy styles of relationship and interaction.

I simply cannot imagine a nurse (or anyone for that matter) who cannot benefit from using this resource. If you haven't obtained it yet, get it now; you will find here something that will truly add value to your personal and professional development."

—Tim Porter-O'Grady, EdD, APRN, FAAN, nationally respected expert

Admitting that disruptive nurse-to-nurse relationships exist in your facility is the first step to recovery . . .

The expression "nurses eat their young and each other" is so far removed from our idea of the caring and nurturing nurse, we shudder to think it could possibly be true. But the truth is, nurses are hurting each other. Long hours, difficult physicians, and the emotional demands of the job can take their toll and cause nurses of all ages to act hostile toward one another.

"This book tells it like it is. Until we (nurses) are willing to name what we've all experienced, nothing will change. But there's hope. We have the privilege of creating a healing environment for our patients and ourselves."

—Elaine D. Goehner, PhD, RN, CPHQ, Swedish Medical Center, Seattle, WA

"Ending Nurse-to-Nurse Hostility is a ground-breaking work that sheds light on a very dark secret in nursing: Shortages and dissatisfaction arise as much from the serious effects of internal, horizontal violence as from low pay, long hours, and poor treatment by physicians. For the situation to improve, it has to be recognized and discussed openly, and Kathleen Bartholomew has nailed both the diagnosis and the cure. Nothing less than the safety of the American patient depends on understanding and meeting these challenges."

—John J. Nance, JD, Founding Board Member, National Patient Safety Foundation

Begin your intervention with Ending Nurse-to-Nurse Hostility: Why Nurses Eat Their Young and Each Other.

Researchers report that verbal abuse contributes to up to 24% of staff turnover and 42% of nurse administrator turnover. To make matters worse, studies indicate that approximately 60% of newly registered nurses leave their first position within six months because of some form of horizontal hostility.

With the nursing shortage and high turnover rates affecting nearly every facility, it is imperative that nurse leaders determine, assess, and eliminate the factors that influence and perpetuate the problems facing the nursing profession today.

TO-THE-POINT DISCUSSION, POWERFUL ADVICE, PRACTICAL STRATEGIES!

Through captivating anecdotal scenarios, Ending Nurse-to-Nurse Hostility examines the many facets of horizontal hostility and offers strategies to make your workplace more peaceful and attractive to current staff and future employees.

Whether you're a nurse manager looking to end the cycle of nurse-to-nurse hostility or a staff member who feels you are or have been a victim of such behavior, this book will help you:

• understand horizontal hostility and why it occurs (includes a sample employee questionnaire to assess whether horizontal hostility is an issue in your facility)
• recognize the ramifications of allowing horizontal hostility to occur and persist (e.g., nurses quit, patient care suffers, facility loses nursing designation)
• identify methods to prevent horizontal hostility
• implement best-practice strategies to deter horizontal hostility from re-occurring (includes steps staff and managers can take to remedy the situation)
• improve the nursing culture at your facility

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kathleen Bartholomew, RN, MN served as the manager of a 57-bed orthopedic and spine unit in a tertiary hospital in Seattle, Washington for more than six years and has just recently ended her position to begin work in consulting. A registered nurse and counselor, Bartholomew brings to light the challenges and issues facing nurses today through the use of story. Speak Your Truth was published by HCPro in 2005 and submitted by Bartholomew for her Master's thesis. She has been a national speaker for the nursing profession for the past six years.

EARN CE CREDIT

Accreditation Statement

HCPro is accredited as a provider of continuing education by the American Nurses Credentialing Center Commission on Accreditation.

Credit Designation Statement

This educational activity for 4 nursing contact hours is provided by HCPro, Inc.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

1. Define horizontal hostility.
2. List two overt examples of horizontal hostility from the work setting.
3. List two covert examples of horizontal hostility from the work setting.
4. Discuss the impact that horizontal hostility has on 1) the individual and 2) the organization.
5. Explain the ways in which the current system is designed to support the invisibility of nurses.
6. List two populations at risk for experiencing horizontal hostility.
7. State four of the most frequent forms of lateral violence.
8. Explain why horizontal hostility is so virulent.
9. Identify two intrinsic forces that play a role in horizontal hostility.
10. Identify two extrinsic forces that play a role in horizontal hostility.
11. Explain how the organizational structure enables oppression.
12. Select two factors that contribute to nurses’ stress from the context of our world.
13. List two impediments to a healthy student or resident nurse experience.
14. Describe six steps that can be taken to create a healthy environment for student nurses.
15. Name two signs of which managers should be aware that may indicate that horizontal hostility is taking place.
16. Explain what is meant by a “twofold approach” to eliminating horizontal hostility.
17. Select one way in which nurse managers can empower staff.
18. Identify two strategies to nurture a healthy culture within the organization.
19. Identify two strategies to decrease hostility within the organization.
20. Identify two practices or behaviors characteristic of a closed system.

Disclosure statement: Kathleen Bartholomew has declared that she has no commercial/financial vested interested in this activity.

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