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Nurses who bully other nurses should not be excused for their behavior because of the "that's just how it is" mentality. Nor should your newly developed practice of nursing be hindered or thwarted by charge nurse bullies who belittle you or shatter your confidence. Instead, as a professional nurse who is in charge of a unit, part of the charge nurse's responsibility is to professionally guide you and build you up in your practice of nursing so that the unit runs smoothly and is operating at its highest potential. As a leader, they should understand that you may need reassurance, consultative advice, and positive reinforcement in order for you to excel as a nurse who is part of the organization. I suggest that you review the ANA position statement on incivility, bullying, and workplace violence. As nurses, this is our best source for information on how to manage incivility in the workplace. Then, make yourself familiar with your organization's workplace civility policies. Both of these should give you information from which you can find support and advocacy. One of the statements in the ANA position statement is "nurses are required to create an ethical environment and culture of civility and kindness, treating colleagues, coworkers, employees, students, and others with dignity and respect". It's OK to say that you feel a certain way, but you should also be specific with the facts of exactly what the nurse bully is saying to you. You may want to write down word for word what she said, or you may want to confront her in the moment. If a patient is present at the time of the comment, then wait until later before saying anything. If you are writing down the facts of what the nurse bully said, it is okay to include how it made you feel. When it comes to workplace bullying, your perception is key, but the facts are crucial. I find that journaling about my problems helps me find good verbal responses for them. I have also found that rehearsing my responses to certain behaviors helps me avoid responding emotionally in the moment. When you are ready, take the information directly to her for an honest and professional discussion. You may want to involve a third party as a monitor. If that conversation doesn't go well and you feel it's necessary to escalate, then write down her responses to the conversation and take the whole issue to the next level. You can say something. You can make changes. But you may have to muster up some courage. It can be hard, believe me, I've been there. But, speaking up for yourself demonstrates a lot of things like self-confidence and effective communication within a stressful situation. It also often helps those bullying charge nurses gain respect for you. Staying under the radar until you get another opportunity will do you no good because you will not learn how to correct these situations when they present. And, unfortunately, they will likely present again in other nursing jobs you have in the future. Stay strong and be willing to resolve workplace incivility. Source: American Nurses Association Position Statement on Incivility, Bullying, and Workplace Violence. Silver Spring, MD: American Nurses Association; 2015. Viewed on 5/5/23 at incivility-bullying-and-workplace-violence--ana-position-statement.pdf (nursingworld.org)

Hi Stacey, I enjoyed reading your article, but I was a little confused when reading the paragraph on SVT with aberrancy. In the second sentence, it says "wide WRS". At first, I kept racking my brain trying to remember what WRS stood for. I even googled it with no related cardiac information found. After a couple minutes, I realized that it was probably a typo that should have been QRS, but I wanted to check with you. Is WRS correct and what does it stand for or is it supposed to be QRS? Thanks, Kim Rockwell, BSN, RN