Nurse Faculty Bullied Before COVID: A Continuation of "Same Old, Same Old" or More? - Anthony J. Jannetti, Inc.
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Volume 42, No. 3 • Winter 2021
Nurse Faculty Bullied Before COVID:
A Continuation of “Same Old, Same Old” or More?
Veronica D. Feeg, Renee Buonaguro, and Diane Mancino
Introduction
Bullying within nursing is the nurs-
ing profession’s dirty little secret. It is
quite a conundrum because, according
to Gallup Polls (Reinhart, 2020), the pub-
lic has rated nursing as the most trusted
profession for 18 years; Yet, as profes-
sionals, nurses describe social bullying
that is malicious and common in the
workplace (Yildirim, 2009). Over 3
decades ago, Cox (1987) recognized bul-
lying within the nursing profession as a Veronica Feeg, PhD, RN, FAAN Renee Buonaguro, PhD, RN Diane J. Mancino, EdD, RN, CAE, FAAN
pervasive problem and, since that time,
there has not been a clear way to
address bullying and mitigate it. It is ubiq-
uitous in the literature within the health- unpleasant, life-changing, and traumatiz- clinicals, online pedagogy, and post-
care setting (Difazio et al., 2019; ing. The detrimental impact on the vic- poned graduations have wreaked havoc
Edmonson & Zelonka, 2019; Gilbert et al., tims is their feeling demeaned and mar- on students and faculty throughout 2020
2016; Houck & Colbert, 2016; Keller et al., ginalized, which often lead to competent (Feeg & Mancino, 2020). More important-
2016; Kovner et al., 2014; Pfeifer & faculty being driven out or eliminated ly, how teachers have responded to
Vessey, 2018; Sauer & McCoy, 2017; from the academy (Keim & McDermott, social bullying is generally less evident in
Vessey et al., 2009; Yokoyama et al., 2010). past studies and should be understood to
2016). The evidence is clear in nursing Bullying within nursing education has intervene upstream using more effective
but less clear in higher education with been well documented in the United States
bullying in academia now becoming and internationally, including among nurs- Veronica Feeg, PhD, RN, FAAN, is Associate
more common but less discussed (Fogg, ing faculty (Beckmann et al., 2013; Bietz & Dean, Molloy College, Rockville Centre, NY. She
2008; Keim & McDermott, 2010). Beckmann, 2020; Clark, 2017), nursing stu- is also Director of the Center for Nursing
Bullying is so common within the pro- dents (Birks et al., 2017; Clarke et al., 2012; Research and Evaluation, providing consulta-
fession that it has been considered a ‘rite Gallo, 2012; Goldberg et al., 2013; Karatas tion to community partners including NSNA.
of passage’ (Birks et al., 2017). Academic et al., 2017), and administrators (LaSala et
Renee Buonaguro, PhD, RN, ANP-C, has been
bullying of faculty has incrementally al., 2016). We continue to describe the working in nursing for over 20 years in major
gained more attention in The Chronicle of same old problems that have not been metropolitan hospitals, as well as the pharma-
Higher Education (Fogg, 2008) as faculty resolved despite suggested interventions ceutical industry, and as an Adjunct Instructor
have been driven out or eliminated from over the past decades, perhaps correlating at Barbara H. Hagan School of Nursing at
the academy because of workplace vio- to a pervasive climate of incivility that has Molloy College for over 10 years. She is a past
lence (Keim & McDermott, 2010). Twale grown recently in this country. Social bully- Jonas Nurse Leader Scholar and Sigma Theta
and De Luca (2008) described the aca- ing in nursing schools needs to be called Tau member.
demic bully culture that includes bullying out given the range of new underlying ten- Diane J. Mancino, EdD, RN, CAE, FAAN, is
behaviors (indulging in self-promotion, sions in academic environments that have Executive Director, National Student Nurses’
showing intolerance or disrespect to oth- become even more pronounced in recent Association and the Foundation of the NSNA.
ers); and Lewis (2004) described the par- COVID-19 crises in health, education, and She may be contacted at nsna@nsna.org, with
ticipants’ responses to being bullied as everyday life. Canceled classes, virtual “Attention Diane Mancino” in the subject line.
Volume 42, No. 3 • Winter 2021 1and targeted approaches to mitigate common terms, and themes in the partic- U.S. Nursing Workforce: Trends in Supply
higher education toxic cultures in which ipants’ narrative answers. and Education (U.S. Department of Health
bullying can thrive. Therefore, this and Human Services, 2013). The sample
national study was designed to describe Sample included faculty who reported their high-
bullying experiences of nursing faculty The faculty portion of the survey est level of education as PhD/EdD (21%),
and to analyze qualitatively their com- was distributed to all NSNA member- DNP (17%), Master’s (56%), and Bacca-
mon responses prior to the pandemic to school faculties. The surveys were laureate (3%). Their reported number of
understand the underlying social envi- returned by participants (n = 249) with years in nursing education was fewer
ronment in which major educational an 81% completed response rate (n = than 5 years (26%), 5-10 years (26%),
changes have transpired. 202) for the main open-ended question. and more than 10 years (48%).
Purpose Research Questions
The literature provides multiple defi- General Findings
The survey included eight questions: Respondents were asked who bul-
nitions of bullying. Vessey and colleagues five demographics, two open-ended, and
(2009) provided the definition as “repeat- lied them and reported results that indi-
one for any additional comments. The cated gender differences. The faculty
ed, offensive, abusive, intimidating, or main question was, “As a nurse educator,
insulting behaviors; abuse of power; or members were bullied by students (41%),
have you ever been bullied in nursing by other faculty (63%), or by hospital
unfair sanctions that make recipients school as a faculty member?” Responses
upset and feel humiliated, vulnerable, or staff (29%) during clinical experiences.
to the open-ended questions were “(1) If
threatened, creating stress and under- Male faculty members reported one third
you have been bullied, please provide a
mining self-confidence” (p. 300). Other less incidents of bullying by other faculty
short description of the situation, includ-
terms used to describe bullying include compared to female faculty, but twice as
ing who bullied you” (n = 202), and “(2)
hostile, mobbing, abuse of power, hori- many incidents by percentage in the clin-
Please briefly describe how the bullying
zontal abuse, negative acts, and socially situation was handled” (n = 199). ical setting (see Figure 1). This result was
demeaning (Beckmann et al., 2013; not significant due to the small sample of
Bowllan, 2015; Difazio et al., 2019). The Results males in the responses (n = 13) and
impact of bullying within any setting can The findings from this study highlight- should be interpreted with caution.
range from no impact at all to devastat- ed the clear existence of bullying in nurs- The respondents were then asked,
ing results for those in harm’s way, such ing education among nurse educators “If you have ever been bullied, please
as resignation, retirement, disengage- before the pandemic. After years of describe a brief description of who bul-
ment, and unhealthy toxic work environ- reported incidents of a toxic workplace for lied you.” There were 202 narrative
ments (Beckmann et al., 2013; Bietz & nurses and nurse educators, the same old responses. Their comments can be sort-
Beckmann, 2020; Clark, 2017). In this stories emerged from this national sam- ed into three interaction categories: stu-
qualitative study, the focus is on analysis ple. These findings represented pre- dent-faculty (S-F), faculty-faculty (which
from the participants using ‘in vivo’ COVID-19 educational social environ- included administrator comments; F-F/A),
terms. The purpose of this survey was to ments where the existence of bullying hospital staff-faculty (H-F), or staff-stu-
describe and measure the impact of bul- may have preceded a culture of interper- dents (H-S) in clinical situations. The first
lying reported by nursing faculty and sonal communication challenges we see general narrative analysis used a manual
allow them to describe their experiences today. The culture of incivility appears sorting of statements in the three cate-
with bullying in their own words. even more pervasive than previously gories with general summary themes for
reported. In this study of faculty, 78% of (a) students, (b) faculty, and (c) hospital/
Methods female faculty respondents reported
clinical staff. However, many of the text
In January 2020, the National being bullied and 77% of male faculty;
Student Nurses’ Association (NSNA) sent responses often overlapped with descrip-
prior studies of academic faculty reported
out a survey to both students and faculty tions of humiliating, demeaning, and ver-
a range of bullying from 31-66% (Keller et
to assess the existence of bullying in the bally abusive instances of bullying
al., 2016; Simons, 2008; Stanley et al.,
nursing education environment as among faculty, students, administrators,
2007). Other studies of nursing students
reported by the faculty. The studies were reported 76% being bullied (Clark, 2017); and staff that were evident throughout
parallel in design although this report and for nursing faculty, Beckman and col- the participants’ comments such as the
focuses on the faculty responses only. It leagues (2013) reported 36% were bullied. following examples:
is also important to note this survey was • Nursing clinical staff “called me out” in
administered before the country was Demographics front of the students and then angrily
caught in a national crisis of the COVID- The faculty members who respond- walked away, not allowing for discus-
19 pandemic. The weblink to the survey ed to this national study represented five sion. (H-F)
was sent to NSNA members via percent males versus 95% females in • Fellow nursing faculty replies with
SurveyMonkey®, and a reminder was gender and, in terms of race, 77% White remarks in an open general meeting,
sent 1 month later. Respondents were or Caucasian, 13% Black or African putting down the person and laugh-
assured anonymity in reporting their bul- American, four percent Hispanic or ing to make it seem like a joke. (F-F)
lying experiences. The data were collect- Latinx, three percent Asian or Asian • I have had current nursing students
ed, stored, cleaned, and analyzed using American, one percent American Indian and applicants be verbally abusive
descriptive statistics, and the narrative or Alaska Native, and 0.4% Native and stand over me in a threatening
responses were coded in NVivo using con- Hawaiian or Pacific Islander. These statis- way as they disagreed with a grade or
tent analysis and constant comparison to tics are all comparable to national nurse [because] they were not accepted into
identify the categories of responses, faculty demographics reported in The the nursing program. (S-F)
2 Volume 42, No. 3 • Winter 2021Figure 1. faculty was actually fired and banned
Gender Comparisons for Bullying Incidents from campus at the end of this aca-
demic year. I never made a formal
complaint.
Q1: As a nurse educator, have you ever been bullied in nursing school as a faculty member?
(Choose all that apply.) • Faculty with more experience/longer
100% employment who would become ver-
bally aggressive in meetings.
80%
Bullying by Staff (H-F and H-S)
60% Male faculty reported more experi-
ences of bullying by hospital staff in the
40% clinical setting than fellow female faculty
(46% versus 28%). Although this finding
20% should be interpreted with caution due to
the small number of males in the sample,
0% it suggests the clinical setting is another
Q7: Male Q7: Female potentially toxic environment related to
gender and power differentials. The gen-
No, I have never been bullied in nursing school. eral theme for being bullied in the clinical
Yes, I have been bullied by fellow faculty member(s). setting by hospital staff was ‘hierarchical
Yes, I have been bullied by nursing student(s). intimidation in a unique high-pressure
Yes, I have been bullied by hospital staff when in clinical settings with students. environment by those who feel opportu-
nity to enable unspoken gender or role
conflicts.’ This can be analogous to the
‘see-saw’ of gender, age, role authority,
• I have had staff yell at me in regard to • Students try to manipulate and get the and experiential power differentials in
what they expected the student to be upper hand. They behave in a man- flux that influence the undercurrent of
doing, although that was not appro- ner where they feel like they can dic- nursing faculty feeling unwelcome in the
priate for the student’s current level. tate actions. hospitals. Comments included:
(H-F) • I have been bullied by other faculty
• I have had other faculty spread false Bullying by Other Faculty (F-F) members from different institutions in
information to the director about me. Male faculty reported fewer experi- the clinical setting because I am a
I have had fellow faculty yell and cuss ences of being bullied by fellow faculty ‘young’ instructor. I have also been
at me. (F-F) than females (46% versus 65%), although bullied by students in the classroom
they both reported an equal amount of setting who are older and don’t think
Bullying by Students (S-F) bullying (77% versus 78%). The general they need to respect faculty. (H-F)
Males and females reported the sim- theme for faculty bullying by other faculty • In clinical settings – a form of intimi-
ilar instances of being bullied by students was ‘aggressive, hostile, interpersonal hor- dation that made you feel like if you
(38% versus 42%). The general theme izontal animosity’ that may not be indica- didn’t do what the nurse wanted they
for all these statements was ‘feeling pow- tive of a power differential but rather would take it out on the nursing stu-
erless, reacting to humiliation’ directed more about escalating rivalry within a cul- dents. (H-F)
ture that is fertile for a toxic environment • Staff continually are rude to me and
from the students who felt some sense of
and uncertainty about reporting upward my students, especially when finding
power in the situation. These included
in the organization or disclosing it. How out they have been assigned a student
threats of reporting up to higher authori-
the bullying was handled was analyzed at the beginning of their shift and say
ty, manipulation, humiliation, and use of
separately. Comments included: rude comments in front of us about us.
social media. Comments included:
• Fellow faculty member, in meetings (H-S)
• Nursing students have no filter and
via shouting of reply to question • A nurse was bullying some of the stu-
openly call the professor stupid; the and/or snarling look and snickers to dents in my group. When the students
statement generates an angry crowd another colleague in agreement with brought it up to the manager of the
action. the one who ‘shouted me down.’ This floor, the next week at clinical, other
• I have also been bullied by students in has happened on more than one nurses retaliated against my whole
the classroom setting who are older occasion. Another which happened group. (H-S)
and don’t think they need to respect once was a full-out (witnessed, thank • Some nurses in the clinical setting
faculty. goodness) shouted rant which barely seem intimidating to students and
• Teaching an online class, I have had touched on the frustrating issue but even resent helping them. (H-S)
students threaten to go to my boss if I launched into swearing and other crit-
did not change their grade if they did icism of colleagues, revealing the ego- Faculty Responses to Bullying
not get the grade they thought they maniac for who she really was. Respondents were asked an open-
should receive. • The faculty person who was assigned ended question to describe how the bul-
• Students in their closed Facebook as my mentor the first year I began lying situation was handled. It was
group had been posting mean things teaching. She was very aggressive important to describe the outcome of the
about me. It was a student who and hostile over her perception of my situations as this has been less described
reported it to me. relationship with the students. This in the literature related to actions taken
Volume 42, No. 3 • Winter 2021 3Table 1.
Gender Comparisons for Outcomes of a Bullying Situation
Personal Action Nothing/Negative Consequence
Gender No Real Impact Personal Action (Resolved) (Unresolved/Negative) (Unresolved)
Males 33% 44% 22% 0%
(n = 9)
Females 11% 30% 17% 40%
(n = 178)
and responses to those actions. The • I thanked the student [who threatened Theme 2: Took action resulting in
analysis was separated by gender to me]. I determined that the director (a) empowerment with vindication
identify if there were different narratives was always right, and I always agreed or (b) impotence against bullies.
or patterns in the text responses, sorted with her. How the respondents took personal
by content analysis, and further explored This subtle suggestion implies clear action against bullying can be split into
by the constant comparison of themes. frustration and held-back anger, but two subthemes:
Each of the cleaned responses that nothing happened. Many of the respons- a) For those who confronted the sit-
offered specific information about the sit- es to how the situation was handled indi- uation or reported it up to author-
uation (n = 187) were sorted into three cated reporting it to someone in authori- ity, they placed trust in their own
major categories: ty (males = 66%; females = 47%); this personal strength and sense of
1) No real impact: The situation was resulted in varying outcomes that under- right or the workplace authority
tolerated, ignored, or had no scored frustrations and emotions or to help resolve a conflict. For
impact on the person describing resulted in some negative consequence these situations where personal
the response. such as the loss of job, early retirement, action resulted in resolution, their
2) Personal action taken (resolved): or changed assignment for 57% of outcome descriptions of how it
The participant personally acted females and only 22% of males. Since was handled could be interpreted
in reporting ‘up’ to authority, the incidence of bullying appears gender as a sub-theme of empowerment
addressing the situation, or took neutral, how it was handled offers insight with vindication. Respondents de-
some personal, self-actualized, into gender differences that warrants fur- scribed actions taken and the
action for the situation, and it ther study. expected outcome was congru-
ended with what appeared to be ent with what they might believe
resolved. Major Themes from Categories is just. These were some of the
3) Personal action taken (unre- The investigators coded statements statements:
solved/negative consequences): in vivo using the specific words and • After attempting to speak with
The participant personally acted underlying sentiments of the respon- her, I did have to take the entire
in reporting ‘up’ to authority, but dents. The three themes emerged from situation to the dean. We had a
the outcome was unsatisfying, these responses are below. meeting with all involved. The
negative, or nothing happened. behavior towards me has been
4) Unresolved – nothing happened Theme 1: Resilience to hostility as resolved.
or negative outcome: The partici- a function of the receiver, not the • I confront [staff] about their atti-
pant expressed clear frustration, perpetrator. tudes toward students and that
anger, internalized distress, or This situation occurs when the recip- we are a teaching hospital. If
personal negative consequence ient expresses humiliation evoked by the that doesn’t resolve [it], I go to
from the situation. bully, but this does not seem to provoke the nurse manager and usually
After sorting and coding by two of an internalized feeling of humiliation or don’t put a student with that
the investigators with 95% inter-coder embarrassment. The recipient acknowl- particular nurse. I also record the
agreement, the following gender-based edged the incident but used words that name in the hospital survey.
differences were identified and are shown indicated it did not matter, which repre- b) For those who took personal
in Table 1. sents a type of immunity against the per- action by reporting it up to author-
Generally, there were three inter- petration of subtle or hostile actions. ity – even though it seemed to be
secting thematic threads in these com- Some of the statements included: ‘appropriate action’ – they de-
ments about how the bullying situation • Smiling, finding other sources of infor- scribed outcomes that suggested a
was handled. Of note in the content cod- mation. theme of ‘being betrayed by those
ing, the male responses in the represen- • Best to ignore it … like it is an illusion above and feeling impotent
tative sample of male faculty demon- of the stimuli. against the bully.’ This theme was
strated a pattern of no real impact, no These statements suggested the apparent in statements coded
consequence, taking action in reporting best defense against bullying in socially into personal actions that had
the situation, handling it themselves, and toxic environments or highly stressful negative consequences or state-
having no real negative consequences. hospital environments is to raise one’s ments such as nothing happened.
One short statement seemed to express threshold of tolerance toward bad This suggested repressed anger,
this male’s response: behaviors. disappointment, humiliation, and
4 Volume 42, No. 3 • Winter 2021frustration for having done ‘the NVivo 12 to code and sorted into final pandemic, but they are being built on an
right thing.’ Statements included: thematic threads that tied the narratives existing foundation of toxic norms over
• It was ignored by administra- together. the past few years in which faculty felt
tion, resulting in the loss of These reflective themes offered by powerless to change.
many great faculty. the participants can be summarized as a Some gender differences between
• Our school is always concerned grand view of the bullying problem by male and female faculty were not sur-
with litigation and decisions are those who have been bullied or have prising such as the different responses to
made based on what they think witnessed it (see Table 2). It was surpris- bullying. However, some of these differ-
they can ‘defend.’ ing that several participants wrote notes ences in the patterns of responses may
of appreciation to the researchers for offer insights for the bullied to find ways
Theme 3: Unresolved frustrations undertaking this study which demon- to un-respond to the situation or not
and internalized personal cost. strated their appreciation for efforts in allow it to personally affect one’s sense
This theme shows nothing happened acknowledging the impact of bullying in of dignity. Resilience may be the key
or something negative transpired after the nursing education. Participants acknowl- upstream intervention to minimize the
bullying. This represented the most seri- edged the severity of the problem by victimization of hostile behaviors in aca-
ous outcome of bullying. For these thanking the investigators for doing the demic and clinical environments. Al-
responses, there seemed to be a gender study. Another cluster of statements though the sample size of this study was
difference: None of the male faculty reflected participants’ concluding sum- small, male faculty were more impacted
described a consequence of personal maries in the second theme that bullying by staff bullying students and unaffected
magnitude. For female faculty, the nega- today is more common, more pervasive, by students or fellow faculty perpetrating
tive consequence of being bullied without and worse than before and that bullying the bullying, but the incidents did not
resolution or with a negative outcome impacts the bullied with long-term conse- result in a bad or internalized conse-
was common. It often resulted in impact- quences. In the third theme, participants quence. We can focus some of our atten-
ing their jobs or personal lives related to frequently stated the administration is tion to more public health interventions
their unresolved frustration. They could part of the problem. on both the recipients of bullying as well
do nothing but cower to the bully rather At the end, participants offered a as the perpetrators rather than punitive
than take actions that might be riskier to more deeply reflective cluster of respons- downstream interactions.
themselves than any punishment the es in a final, summarizing theme: ‘given The most troubling finding is consis-
bully might receive. This added to feelings incivility today, nursing faculty need to tent with the literature on how bullying
of powerlessness with words that suggest- better understand themselves from with- today is ‘normal’ and ‘it is how it is.’ It
ed an internalized emotional strain that in,’ meaning that incivility should be suggests that it is how it has to be and
was occasionally described as traumatic. acknowledged, called out, understood, those who report bullying are betrayed
This was evident for those who implied a and seen more broadly within the social by authorities who fail to act or respond.
consequence without action or added a world while striving to achieve a more To be bullied and ignored is worse than
severely negative outcome to the situa- civil workplace. being bullied. Students should not be led
tion just for having been bullied. Some to believe bullying is a rite of passage.
statements to how bullying resolution Discussion There needs to be a loftier perspective of
ended badly included: The participants’ descriptions of bul- confronting bullying through an under-
• It wasn’t – just suffered through it until lying situations speak volumes about the standing of both the perpetrator and the
they left. current climate in nursing education that victim of bullying. Interventions need to
• I was removed from a section by seems to be more conducive to both be tailored to the culture of the environ-
administration, said it was a personal overt and covert acts of hostile behavior. ment, with a focus on the underlying
conflict … ignored … retaliation. According to Goldberg and colleagues norms that will foster civility and hope-
• It’s difficult if you confront; I’ve wit- (2013), “social bullying behaviors become fully improve in the coming years.
nessed retaliation of peers who have pernicious when they are used in power
been bullied or manipulated and no relationships, especially when bullying Conclusion
longer working at our institution. becomes the cultural norm” (p. 196). This Bullying, incivility, and bad behav-
Some respondents retired early, quit was the situation before COVID-19 iors exist today in nursing education –
their jobs, or sought counseling. The nar- impacted our lives with new stressors put perhaps even more than in the past –
ratives suggested disappointment that on faculty and students, including clinical and may be prescient for the future
faculty felt when they believed the experiences for students and faculty in when we may emerge from the pandem-
appropriate actions were taken but it fell hospitals. The increase in the incidence ic with even more hostilities. It is not
on deaf ears, provoked a negative conse- and damage caused by bullying in nurs- ‘same old, same old,’ but more pervasive
quence, or took a personal toll. ing education at the time of the study and destructive in a social environment
produced evidence of the underlying that is clearly more fractious. Faculty
Reflective Narratives – culture in recent years of ‘normed,’ hos- described (or witnessed) the personal
Final Thematic Analysis tile behaviors that are pervasive in our experience of being disrespected and
A final question on the survey asked country. This study suggests a founda- devalued, and they felt frustrated,
respondents to offer any additional infor- tion of aggressive, bullying behavior angered, and betrayed that reporting
mation or comments. This gave partici- existed before COVID-19 perhaps due to bullying was worse than tolerating it.
pants opportunity to close their com- the stresses of clinical and educational Faculty gender differences in responses
ments with reflection and insight. These expectations influenced by the times. to being bullied may be rooted in the
often lengthy responses (n = 97) were Certainly today, our social norms of underlying phenomena of female-male
analyzed by the investigators using behavior have been changed from the role and power differentials that suggest
Volume 42, No. 3 • Winter 2021 5Table 2.
Themes from Participants’ Closing Statements on Bullying
General Theme Statements
Bullying impacts the bullied with • Bullying is emotionally very stressful. I retired early to get away from the hostile environment. It still causes me
long-term consequences. distress years later when I think about it.
• We all have almost like PTSD from it all. We think and talk about our experiences a lot. She’s always in the back
of our minds.
• Her passive-aggressive freezing me out was difficult to handle. I felt the intimidation and bullying and really
pulled back from any personal relationships at work for several years.
• It was an awful experience – life changing for me.
Bullying today is more common, • I have witnessed more bullying than experienced at … I have tried to stand up, but sometimes the undercurrent
more pervasive, and worse than is so strong, or so subtle, that you don’t even realize it is happening in the moment.
before. • I have also seen other faculty bullied both in school and in the hospital. In a rural community, our ‘old guard’
staff at the hospital are nurses who ‘eat their young.’
• Nurses not only eat their young, they chew them and spit them out. I have been a nurse for over 40 years and
the hostility has only gotten worse.
• Nursing is rife with bullies.
• Silent bullying is more difficult.
• I have never been so disrespected by such a large group of students until the past 4 or 5 years. They are
extremely disrespectful to any faculty or staff person.
Administration is part of the prob- • Nursing schools should have policies in place when educators feel threatened.
lem. • There is a lack of accountability for administrators in academia.
• Bullying is an ongoing issue at my campus. Administration seems to underestimate the damage that it causes to
individuals.
• HR has been approached regarding policy development but, in 3 years, there has been no progress in this area.
• Administration has often been a key player in bullying.
Given incivility today, nursing facul- • Civility in academia is important. All persons at all levels should be treated with respect, regardless of their opin-
ty need to better understand them- ion. Faculty must model and foster these behaviors and not be afraid to identify incivility in a way that helps
selves from within. everyone, even the person who is [the bully].
• Bullying and incivility happen so quick that it is difficult to address in the moment.
Appreciation for any efforts in • Thank you for addressing this issue. No one should be allowed to treat others with hostility, disrespect, or in any
acknowledging the impact of bully- manner that diminishes their value.
ing in nursing education was shown • Huge topic. If not attending the conference for the results, will they be published on your website?
in narrative. • It is real. Never thought it would happen in academics, but it did.
• I am so glad that you are doing this survey because I feel that bullying needs to really be addressed early in the
nursing curriculum.
• There definitely needs to be more literature and explanation as to what is seen as bullying behavior and what is
not. I will be interested in the outcomes from this survey.
further study. Additional research on of incivility that may have fueled the Clark, C. (2017). Seeking civility among faculty. The
empowering the bullied might need a sparks of stress and bullying. DN ASHA Leader, 22(12), 54-59. https://doi.org/
10.1044/leader.FTR2.22122017.54
different approach in a post-pandemic
Clarke, C.M., Kane, D.J., Rajacich, D., & Lafreniere, K.
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What does nurse turnover rate mean and what is
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How to Teach Thinking
Speaker: Susan Gross Forneris, PhD, RN, CNE, CHSE-A, FAAN
Director, NLN Center for Innovation in Education Excellence
New nurses require well developed
Wednesday, April 7, 2021
clinical reasoning skills in order to deliv-
(During the NSNA Virtual Convention and available on-demand
er safe, effective, and compassionate
following the Convention)
care. Preparing students for practice
demands that academic and practice- 6.0 Contact Hours will be awarded
based educators use transformative $150 workshop only | $250 workshop and full convention
strategies to develop clinical reasoning registration
skills. Good teaching is “knowing the
Dr. Forneris is a former Professor of Nursing at St. Catherine
content,” but great teaching guides the
University, St. Paul, MN, and is currently the Director for the National
learner to “use the content.” This interac-
League for Nursing Division for Innovation in Education Excellence,
tive workshop will highlight the known
Susan Gross Forneris areas of risk transitioning from course
Washington, DC. Selected for inclusion in the 2010 inaugural group
of NLN Simulation Leaders, she has been working in the field of clin-
work into nursing practice. You will have hands on experiences in
ical simulation since 2003. She is also instrumental in the design
1) the use of the NLN Guide for Teaching Thinking to develop solid
and implementation of NLN faculty development resources focused
teaching and learning dialogue strategies; and 2) practice specific
on the pedagogy of teaching and learning. Her expertise is in cur-
techniques with feedback from the experts.
riculum and teaching/learning instructional design for use across
Learning outcomes: the curriculum. Her research and publications focus on the develop-
• Discuss the essential elements of the NLN Guide for ment and use of reflective teaching strategies to enhance critical
Teaching Thinking. thinking. She co-authored the publication Critical Conversations:
• Demonstrate skills in guiding critical conversations in The NLN Guide for Teaching Thinking and, most recently, Critical
Conversations: From Monologue to Dialgoue.
the following areas: clinical encounters, classroom, post-
clinical. Sponsors: National League for Nursing, Washington, DC; and National
Student Nurses’ Association, Brooklyn, NY
For more information, please visit www.nsnaconvention.org
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