Nursing Students Incivility Towards Faculty and Other Students

Specialties Educators

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There has been an increase of nursing student incivility towards faculty and other nursing students. Some forms of incivility are overt, such as arriving late for class, using cell phones or texting during class, rude or disruptive behaviors, challeging faculty credibility etc., while some forms of incivility are covert, such as rolling eyes, snickering at the instructor, etc. Uncivil and disruptive behaviors in nursing education jeopardizes the entire institution as a whole. What type of nurses are being produced if students are allowed to have rude and disruptive behaviors towards others? Will this behavior carry over into their nursing practice? Are instructors the blame for the increased incivility? Are adult students the blame? Is there a combination of several factors? At several institutions, I have been told there is also bullying of other students. More aggressive nursing students are demanding answers and information from the less aggressive nursing students...and the less aggressive students are suffering in silence. Have any other nursing instructors experienced incivility by students? How did you handle it? Is there nursing student bullying at your institution? How is bullying handled at your institution?

Specializes in Gerontological, cardiac, med-surg, peds.

Some posts were removed from this thread, as well as any reference to the poster, to protect his/her identity.

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My wife was the victim of a bullying nurse instructor. The instructor was apparently intimidated by my wife's 2 previous degrees in physics and in computer science and, as a result, harassed my wife all semester. I had to talk my wife out of filing a complaint with the BON and various other agencies (although had she done so, she would have been in the right). I believe part of the problem is very few "nurse educators" have doctorate degrees and, hence, don't exercise the same type of professional behavior as is seen on most university campuses and in most medical schools. Nursing will never be taken as a serious profession until those in it start acting like Professionals.

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Dear ConcernedMD:

This is troubling to hear and I am sad to know that your wife has gone through this suffering. Incivility, as you know, can happen either way, and among any groups of human beings. This happens to nurses from physicians far too often, as you know, and all of it is just bad behavior when it occurs. It hurts everyone. But, I have recently been on the painful receiving end of bullying by a strange nursing student who resented not receiving a grade of 100% if though the student had not earned that particular grade. It has all been very scary and unwarranted, of course, but...I have also been a nursing student in my life (a few times) and bullying on that end hurts everyone, too. It would seem that all of us must write about this awful phenomenon as to causes, effects, what to do about it if a victim or how to change if a perpetrator, that kind of thing. That is one thing I have chosen to do about being the victim of a threatening student. I have involved upper management and other supportive/legal people and this has helped somewhat but I am also taking a bit of time off as the whole thing has left me exhausted and feeling disempowered. I am one of those very kind, compassionate, and fair academicians (I know what it feels like to be bullied as a student, so I go "overboard" to help all of my students!). Still, the effects of bullying can be lasting and the actions harm everyone, as you know. Good luck and please tell your wife to hang in there no matter what direction she chooses for handling all of this. It would seem to me that to allow one case of bullying to take our goals and peace of mind from us would represent the worst defeat.

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Specializes in Pediatrics.
I believe part of the problem is very few "nurse educators" have doctorate degrees and, hence, don't exercise the same type of professional behavior as is seen on most university campuses and in most medical schools. Nursing will never be taken as a serious profession until those in it start acting like Professionals.

I am sorry that your wife endured what she did as a student. However, I do not have a doctorate degree (but aspire to), and I take offense to that generalization. I can't imagine that my doctoral studies would make me less of a bully towards students (since I am not one now). By contrast I have seen quite a few MDs who demonstrate the characteristics you speak of.

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Specializes in Gerontological, cardiac, med-surg, peds.
My wife was the victim of a bullying nurse instructor. The instructor was apparently intimidated by my wife's 2 previous degrees in physics and in computer science and, as a result, harassed my wife all semester. I had to talk my wife out of filing a complaint with the BON and various other agencies (although had she done so, she would have been in the right). I believe part of the problem is very few "nurse educators" have doctorate degrees and, hence, don't exercise the same type of professional behavior as is seen on most university campuses and in most medical schools. Nursing will never be taken as a serious profession until those in it start acting like Professionals.

The tone of this post is insulting and condescending towards nurse educators in general. One "bad apple" of a bully of a nursing instructor does not make all nurse educators unprofessional.

I am sorry that your wife endured what she did as a student. However, I do not have a doctorate degree (but aspire to), and I take offense to that generalization. I can't shine that my doctoral studies would make me less of a bully towards students (sine I not one now). By contrast I have seen quite a few MDs who demonstrate the characteristics you speak of.

I agree with you, nurse educate. I clearly remember one surgeon who would curse, rant and rave, and throw charts when he made his grand entrance on our unit. Though he had a medical "doctorate" degree (which is below a PhD), he clearly had the emotional maturity of a two-year-old.

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Specializes in psych, addictions, hospice, education.

Bullying is not honorable no matter who does it. Lack of bullying isn't a sign of an advanced degree.

Concerned, please don't stereotype nurses or instructors. I'm saddened that your wife went through what she went through with her instructor. Most instructors would not treat her as you say she was treated.

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Gosh, I almost did not post a reply here just because...I believe that all nurses have been victims of bullying by physicians, other nurses, patients, family members, instructors, students of instructors, and on it goes. I also knew that whomever had the MD after a name...may be unaware or unwilling to think about physicians bullying nurses so frequently. So, all of us have suffered a lot already. I have seen physicians bully other physicians, but not nurses ever bullying physicians. And, there is this: this forum is for nurses and by nurses. We do not recognize any kind of physician dominance here as there is none. So, it could be possible for a physician to post here, but...is this actually alright? I am not sure about it and feel dissonance. If the woman, a nursing student and spouse of the alleged physician,was bullied by an instructor, I have to wonder why her husband is speaking for her here. Is he trying to gain insight, or practicing physician-dominance in the nurse-doctor game that has been so destructive for everyone. Hmmmm....and I have a Ph.D., a post-doc., other graduate degrees in other fields...no one really cares but me and that is fine. The educational level of any nurse of any physician may or may not be associated with bullying behaviors, so we need valid studies. It is a huge assumption that educational level and bullying may be associated. Thanks!

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I am proud to be a nurse/nurse educator. I cringe when I hear about bullying of any type whether it be in a clinical setting or classroom. Nursing instructors, students, physicians, etc. tend to have strong personalities coupled with the stress and anxiety that accompanies life and death situations. Bullies display a lack of character and usually direct their manipulation towards the path of least resistance, i.e...student, new nurse, nurse.

I love being a nurse but am ashamed of our profession when I see these practices continue to steer us away from patient care and patient safety. Please be proactive and assure policies are written in colleges, universities, and clinical sites to ensure a non hostile work environment exists.

FYI, I have been nursing faculty for four years and a registered nurse for 20 years. As an instructor, I have been threatened, manipulated, intimidated by larger male students and stalked. Several of my colleagues have restraining orders for unsuccessful students that have made threats of bodily harm. In order to get to my office I need three different keys to unlock three different doors and a security button under my desk. All of this for a 40% cut in pay after I completed my MSN, yet this is the most worthwhile career I have chosen.

There is no reason to bully a student; maybe your wife should sit down one on one with the instructor for a discussion. If she is not satisfied with the outcome, she should follow the chain of command. Developing professional boundaries are an important aspect of practicing nursing. She will be bullied by many a physician and seasoned nurse in the future unless she stops them in their tracks.

Good Luck

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