NURSES EAT

THEIR
YOUNG
PRESENTED BY GROUP 5
STARS (NLMMAA)
 Support
Nurses Eat Their Young

“Nurses eating their young” is a common phrase referring to

the sometimes high levels of hazing or initiation new nurses
experience at the hands of their more experienced coworkers.
But this type of behavior is not unique to nursing. It’s been
uncovered in fields from doctors to police officers and even
teachers
Why does bullying in nursing happen?
When new nurses enter a healthcare facility, senior nurses
might burden new nurses with too many tasks or difficult
patients to push them to perform well. This behavior could be
detrimental to the well-being of new nurses, as adding
hardships to the stress of a new nursing career can sometimes
diminish learning. The Sentinel Watch states that “when you
are unnecessarily hard on someone during the learning phase,
they become less competent.” Instead of adding more
hardships to the lives of new nurses, older nurses should help
facilitate confidence and learning.
Identifying Bullying Behaviors in the Nursing
Field.
Typical overt behaviors to watch for include the following:
•Verbal criticism or name-calling
•Intimidation
•Blaming
•Ethnic jokes or slurs
•Finding fault
•Threats
•Physical violence
If bullying happens to new nurses, does it happen
to students during clinicals?
• It’s not common but it does happen, says Carolyn
Wright, dean of nursing at the Rasmussen College
Kansas campuses. Most often it occurs at times when
the faculty or charge nurse isn’t looking.
• Wright recalls one situation in which a student
reported being bullied during clinicals. She went to the
hospital site to investigate and hid out of view while
the student was doing her rounds. Just as the student
described, staff nurses jeered at her when no one was
looking. Wright immediately reached out to the charge
nurse and the situation was remedied.
• Wrights’s actions are reflective of how most nurse
educators handle these types of situations. “We are
here to help,” she says. Reaching out to faculty directly
is just one way to ensure you have a positive
experience out in the field during clinicals.
What can nurses do about incivility?
• Palarski’s story demonstrates how valuable it is to speak up if
something is out of place. Your faculty and deans are there to make
sure you have the best possible learning environment on and off
campus.
• But there are a few things you can do yourself as well. Learning
effective communication strategies is a great way to nip negative
comments in the bud, Thompson says. She offers several scripted
dialogues in her book, “Do No Harm” and on her blog, for how to talk
bullies.
1. Prepare with your instructor ahead of time
• Rasmussen faculty members offer “cognitive rehearsal,” Palarski says.
This means that faculty members walk through different scenarios
with students to prepare them for situations where they may feel
uncomfortable.
2. Utilize an assertive communication style
• It is human nature to either back down or get defensive when we feel
we are attacked. But that is only going to make things worse and most
likely will lead to further misunderstandings. Some possible responses
include: “I need your support, not your criticism,” or directly stating “I
need help with X, Y and Z,” Thompson says.
3. Convey confidence
• Sometimes something as simple as body language can prevent a situation from happening. Walk
tall and look people in the eye, Thompson says. This will show the more experienced nurses that
you mean business and are there to learn.
4. Find a way to work as a team
• Remind the nurse that the focus should be on what’s in the best interest of the patient. Questions
like “How can we work together?” will encourage cooperation, Thompson says.
Preparation is the key to a successful clinical experience
• As they say, knowledge is power. Nurse educators are here to teach you everything you need to
know to be an amazing nurse, Wright says. There are going to be some tough things that you will
have to deal with as a nurse and part of your education should and does include preparation for
that.
• If you come to school with a positive attitude and willingness to learn, says Wright, “[Rasmussen
College] can teach you the rest.” As new nurses enter the workforce and continue to bring a voice
to the issue of bullying in nursing, they are securing a bright future for one of the nation’s most
respected careers.
• Nurses recognize that it’s not just the way they treat their patients that defines them. Every
interaction counts. Their continual drive to make their profession better is just one of the many
inspiring qualities of the nurses.
How Prevalent is Hazing among Nurses?
• Surveys say that nurse hazing is still an issue. Here are a few ways to
recognize it and prevent workplace bullying.
• Nursing is a satisfying career choice, especially for those eager to care
for others. This field is not without challenges, though. Long shifts,
making sure patients receive the best of care, and comforting
distraught family members are just a few tasks nurses face.
• But one surprising hurdle among nurses is hazing, bullying and
conflict within the workplace. The decades-old expression “nurses eat
their young” refers to seasoned nurses bullying or hazing new nurses.
• While there’s a long-standing debate about whether bullying is
prevalent among nurses, here’s what you need to know to prepare for
your own nursing career.
• The American Nurses Association (ANA) estimates that between 18 and
31% of nurses have been bullied at work, as reported by the Workplace
Bullying Institute. However, these statistics include all types of bullying
among nurses. For instance, this might include new nurses bullying older
nurses, co-workers treating each other with harmful behavior, or older
nurses “eating their young.” The Workplace Bullying Institute states that
more studies need to be conducted to determine which positions exhibit
the most bullying behaviors within the nursing community.
• Some nurses are not as certain that nurse hazing or bullying is a prevalent
problem. They hold the belief that the fear often instilled in new nurses
becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy in the workplace or adds additional
worry that often isn’t realistic. However, the Workplace Bullying Institute
reports that one study found that 60% of new nurses cited workplace
bullying behavior as a reason they quit their first nursing job within six
months.
Why Bullying and Hazing Sometimes Happens

• Employers and co-workers sometimes “test” new professionals with a series of

trials to see if they have what it takes to perform well. For instance, hazing is a
common technique used in military, police and fire departments. The idea behind
hazing is prepping workers for challenges they’ll face in the field.
• While a hazing period may be typical in some fields of work, hazing and bullying
situations should be carefully evaluated, as noted by The Sentinel Watch. In
nursing, bullying can be especially hazardous.
• When new nurses enter a healthcare facility, senior nurses might burden new
nurses with too many tasks or difficult patients to push them to perform well.
This behavior could be detrimental to the well-being of new nurses, as adding
hardships to the stress of a new nursing career can sometimes diminish
learning. The Sentinel Watch states that “when you are unnecessarily hard on
someone during the learning phase, they become less competent.” Instead of
adding more hardships to the lives of new nurses, older nurses should help
facilitate confidence and learning.
 • Be aware that bullying can happen, especially to
new nurses. Knowing what behaviors are considered
How to bullying will also help you decipher the difference
between challenges and harassment.
Prepare and • The next step is to talk to your instructors, as they
can help you prepare for your new work
Address environment. Your instructors can offer insight and
practical tips that can be applied in the workplace.
Bullying • Finally, you should never be afraid to speak up if you
Situations. are bullied. Find a supervisor, human resources
representative or a hospital administrator who can
help you address the situation.
Let’s hear from the nurses who are making a change by raising
their voices online..
Videos
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E-FZLrVXZmc
• https://vimeo.com/152384243
References

• Katz, Katy. (2014, June 24). Bullying in Nursing. Retrieved

from
https://www.rasmussen.edu/degrees/nursing/blog/bullyi
ng-in-nursing-nurses-eat-their-young/
• “Nurses eat their young,” (2018). Retrieved from
https://www.jacksonvilleu.com/blog/nursing/nurses-eat-
their-young/
• Macdonald, Erica. (2018, July 11). I know why nurses eat
their young. Retrieved from
https://www.thegypsynurse.com/blog/i-know-why-
nurses-eat-their-young/
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA