Improving Nursing Students' Resilience to Bullying Behavior

Bullying behavior in nurses is known by many terms; lateral violence, incivility, horizontal aggression and relational aggression are just some of the terms seen in the literature. Any form of psychological or social harassment perpetrated by one nurse against another through overt or covert behaviors is considered a type of bullying behavior. Some examples of covert behavior include nonverbal cues, deliberately withholding information, and gossiping. More overt behaviors are scapegoating, forming cliques and passive-aggressive behaviors towards a particular nurse. Among nurses in their first years of practice, bullying is often cited as a reason for leaving their jobs. A review of the literature has found the use of role play simulation has been helpful in raising awareness of bullying and understanding there are strategies to address it. The goal of this research project is to evaluate different avenues in which various simulation methods can be used to improve nurses awareness of ability to managing bullying in various setting.