Cognitive Rehearsal Training for Upskilling Undergraduate Nursing Students Against Bullying: A Qualitative Pilot Study

“They can crush you”: Nursing students’ experiences of bullying and the role of faculty

“…Several participants in our pilot study [1] felt that faculty members were often oblivious to situations of bullying, did not respond adequately or supportively, and left students feeling betrayed. As one participant stated: You guys are the mentors, you have got to display a positive role-model for them and bullying is not part of that.…”

“…[21] Individual student perception of feedback varies; giving the same feedback to two different students can leave one feeling crushed and wanting to quit school while the other reflects on the feedback, incorporates it, and flourishes. [1] Providing student feedback is a skill in itself, and the faculty member should consider factors influencing the student's perception of both interactions and feedback. These would include level of confidence, complex clinical learning environments, and adoption of unacceptable behaviours that are modelled by members of the interdisciplinary healthcare team.…”

“…[6,28] Participants in our study who felt supported by faculty reported higher confidence in themselves and competence in their skills. [1] One participant stated, Something went wrong, and the instructor backed me so well immediately and was like please don't talk to my student that way-and it was like the whole world changed. It was way better.…”

“…[1] They wanted a safe place to discuss their concerns and a clear process to follow when facing bullying. Additionally, students felt that there were no consequences when bullying occurred.…”

“…"The core elements of CRT include knowledge and best practices, personal perceptions and recognizing bullying behaviour, managing personal reactions, rehearsing responses in a safe and collaborative environment, and increasing skill and confidence". [1] We used CRT with third-year nursing student participants who took part in a two-hour workshop in a campus classroom that included a didactic presentation on bullying in nursing and a role-play activity in which scenes of bullying were portrayed. The scenes were devised with the help of the research assistant (a senior student) and reflected bullying situations involving students, nurses, and clients in practice settings.…”