Hospitals should provide anti-bullying education that can be incorporated into new employee orientation, preceptor training courses, and annual educational fairs. Gillespie and colleagues conducted a pilot bullying education program that was incorporated into nursing school curricula and showed great potential.1 This type of education prepares students to properly handle the situation if they are ever the victim of workplace bullying.
At the same time, hospitals and nursing leaders need to identify and address the reasons nurses are being bullies. One is nurses have to take on more responsibilities with fewer resources. Therefore, teaching facilities must take into consideration the extra time required of nurses to effectively teach and train. Overall, hospitals need to foster a culture of positive learning where bullying is not tolerated and nurses "eating their young" no longer exists.
Andrew Kosko, BSN, RN, CPN, CCRN, CPTC
McAllen, TX
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