Newly Licensed Nurse Perceived Incivility: A Valid and Reliable Assessment Tool

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Workplace Behavior Analysis
• Healthcare Professional Development

Background:

• Workplace incivility negatively impacts nurse morale, attendance, and retention.
• Incivility directed at newly licensed nurses (NLNs) can jeopardize their careers.
• Understanding NLNs' perceptions of incivility is crucial for addressing workplace issues.

Purpose of the Study:

• To validate the Nursing Student Perception of Civil and Uncivil Behaviors (NSPCUB) instrument for newly licensed nurses (NLNs).
• To establish a credible measure of NLNs' perceptions of civil and uncivil behaviors by registered nurses (RNs).

Main Methods:

• A modified 12-item NSPCUB-NLN survey was administered to a convenience sample of NLNs from three cohorts.
• Exploratory factor analysis and reliability statistics were employed to analyze the data.
• Concurrent validity was assessed to evaluate the instrument's effectiveness.

Main Results:

• Exploratory factor analysis revealed distinct passive and active incivility subscales.
• The instrument demonstrated high reliability, with an overall Cronbach's alpha of 0.917.
• Higher scores for positive experiences compared to negative experiences supported the instrument's validity (P < 0.0001).

Conclusions:

• The NSPCUB-NLN is confirmed as a valid and reliable instrument for use with newly licensed nurses.
• This tool can assist nurse leaders in assessing unit cultures for incivility.
• Findings support the development of targeted interventions to foster healthier nursing work environments.