This paper will explore the faculty role when nursing students experience bullying, and what teaching practices best support student confidence and learning. Failure to address the issue of bullying in nursing education contributes to bullying in the profession, and creates an atmosphere of distrust between students and faculty. Nursing students have reported that faculty sometimes behave in bullying ways or are ill-prepared to address bullying as it occurs. Faculty may contribute to bullying unknowingly, as students may perceive teaching behaviours, such as giving feedback, as bullying. Giving feedback is a skill in itself, and faculty members should consider factors influencing a student's perception of student/teacher interactions. Having a firm grasp on conflict resolution processes and reviewing related curriculum are responsibilities of post-secondary nurse educators. Faculty also have the responsibility to recognize and address conflict in a timely manner, and turn difficult situations into learning experiences or teachable moments. In order to prevent faculty bullying of students, faculty members should acknowledge the inherent vulnerability of learners, and also reflect on their own communication practices and their potential impact on learners.
Background
New RNs are most at risk for being bullied in health care. Cognitive rehearsal training (CRT) as an anti-bullying intervention is a novel approach to address the issue using role-play to respond to scenarios involving bullying. Previous studies (
Griffin, 2004
;
O'Connell et al., 2019
) show that students find the CRT strategy useful to increase their confidence and competence when managing a bullying situation.
Method
New RNs (
N
= 15) who had attended a CRT workshop 1 to 2 years previously answered an in-depth survey as to how they had used the training in the interim period.
Results
Seventy-one percent of the participants were able to recognize bullying behavior, and 64% had been able to stop from reacting immediately. Half of the participants reported taking time to reflect on the context of the bullying and manage their emotions and then respond in a professional manner.
Conclusion
Nurses in this study requested further CRT to solidify their learning, which could result in more prosocial responses to bullying.
[
J Contin Educ Nurs
. 2022;53(5):203–211.]
This paper will explore the faculty role within the Canadian higher education workplace related to the phenomenon of gossip and reflect on ways to stop this unhealthy social communication tradition. Failure to address gossip, a form of bullying, in academia contributes to irreversible damage to a person’s career and character. Sadly, faculty in nursing and the nursing profession are champions of this unprofessional behaviour. Navigating through a workplace environment tainted with gossip is a skill faculty must work on to prevent unfortunate consequences. The impacts of gossip must be recognized and handled responsibly. It is never too late to reflect on our communication practices and the potential impact on our workplace environment, including role modelling the nursing culture on learners.
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