Ending horizontal hostility/lateral violence

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I am a staff nurse at a rural hospital that suffers from rampant horizontal hostility - not only condoned by management, but rewarded by management. There has been a 20% turnover rate in the past year and I would attribute most of the nurses leaving to this hostility.

My question is, what can I do to get management to end this problem? Is there a program to end this problem? How do I approach management and tell them they need to address this issue? Are there legal implications for the facility if they don't address the problem and do something to stop it?

There is lots of research out there about horizontal hotility/lateral violence, but not alot out there about how to stop it. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I like what I do and feel strongly that we need to have a good hospital in this rural setting, but I don't know how much longer I can work in this toxic environment.

Thanks.

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The reason that there is a lot of research is because they can't find a solution for the problem - it is like a cancer.

Unless you have a specific plan in mind and are willing to do the work to implement some kind of fix-it plan, don't bother going to management. If they even realize that what you say is really happening, they generally won't be willing to invest any time or money into the situation. After all, to them nurses are a dime a dozen. They'll just tell you that if you don't like how things are there - leave.

You are getting a firsthand look at why nurses are leaving the field.

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Specializes in Hospital Education Coordinator.

another option: present a plan that shows how EXPENSIVE lateral violence is. It is a huge dis-satisfier. What does it cost to retrain someone or be short on speciality nurses? How much money could be saved by implementing a plan of action that will encourage teamwork and get rid of the bad apples? There are other factors related to job dissatisfaction besides lateral violence. These include stealing from the employer, lying on documentation ------ a host of things. But RN1989 is right - a lot of nurses leave because of this situation.

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Specializes in Hospice, Critical Care.

Does anyone work at a facility that has a written policy on horizontal (lateral) violence or bullying? I'm starting as Nurse Manager soon and would like to institute such a policy at least for my unit.

I've been doing web searches but haven't turned up anything specific yet.

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I'm currently in Nursing Orientation at a large healthcare organization that (just yesterday, coincidentally) spent no less than an hour of orientation time explaining their Horizontal Hostility policies. This institution has realized the total costs - turnover, customer service, legal - of Horizontal Hostility and appears to be on the forefront of addressing this problem. PM me and I can provide contact information at the if you're interested.

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Specializes in Vents, Telemetry, Home Care, Home infusion.

ending nurse-to-nurse hostility (book): a healthcare management ...

the costs of workplace discontent

center for american nurses calls for an end to lateral violence ...

[color=#0000cc]bullying in the workplace: reversing a culture

this guide has been developed for nurses in all practice settings where bullying may be witnessed or experienced. bullying is exhibited in many ways. this behavior can have far-reaching repercussions for the individuals involved and for the organizations for which they work. learn what tools and strategies can be utilized to move from a culture of hostility to a culture of mutual respect. this publication provides nurses with the tools to recognize and address bullying in the workplace. continuing education contact hours are available with the purchase of this booklet. go to the ce module

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The only fair policy in this instance is zero tolerance. Fire a few people and the dye will be cast.

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Specializes in FNP, Peds, Epilepsy, Mgt., Occ. Ed.

I think I just read something yesterday about Joint Commission starting to pay attention to this issue.

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Does anyone work at a facility that has a written policy on horizontal (lateral) violence or bullying? I'm starting as Nurse Manager soon and would like to institute such a policy at least for my unit.

I've been doing web searches but haven't turned up anything specific yet.

Did you ever write this policy?

As a one time victim of directed horizontal violence I am very passionate

about fighting it. Would like to see what happened with your idea.

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