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Published on: February 16, 2011
Interrupting the cycle of bullying witnessed or experienced by nursing students: An ethical and relational action
Kathy O'Flynn-Magee1, Patricia Rodney1, Marion Pearson2
1University of British Columbia, School of Nursing, Vancouver, Canada.
Background:
The prevalence of bullying experienced by nursing students continues to be a substantial concern for the profession, especially for nurse educators. It is also an issue in other health care professional programs.
Objectives:
To explore how educational institutions address bullying experienced by nursing and other health care professional students, with the goal of creating a set of procedures for reporting bullying if students witness or experience it during their education.
Design:
Qualitative Description. Our central question was "What processes and resources do faculty members use when students disclose an experience related to bullying?"
Settings:
Educational institutions in Western Canada.
Participants:
Nine faculty members and one staff member with a student service role from nursing and other health care profession programs.
Methods:
Semi-structured interviews.
Results:
We found significant variation in interviewees' conceptions of bullying and the policies, processes, and resources for addressing bullying within programs. We adopted an existing definition of bullying; designed a set of procedures focused on reporting mechanisms; and developed a guiding framework entitled Addressing Bullying in Nursing Education: An Ethical and Relational Action Framework.
Conclusions:
Nursing and other health care professional programs should ensure they have 1) clear and transparent procedures to report bullying 2) education about bullying for students and faculty.
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