Commitment to Civility

“Nurses and employers across the health care continuum, including academia, have an ethical, moral, and legal responsibility to create a healthy and safe work environment for nurses and all members of the health care team, health care consumers, students, families, and communities.”

Civility best practices:

• Use clear communication verbally, non verbally, and in writing(including social media).
• Treat others with respect, dignity, collegiality, and kindness.
• Consider how personal words and actions affect others.
• Avoid gossip and spreading rumors.
• Rely on facts and not conjecture.
• Collaborate and share information where appropriate.
• Offer assistance when needed, and, if refused, accept refusal gracefully.
• Take responsibility or be accountable for one’s own actions.
• Recognize that abuse of power or authority is never acceptable.
• Speak directly to the person with whom one has an issue.
• Demonstrate openness to other points of view, perspectives,experiences, and ideas.
• Be polite and respectful, and apologize when indicated.
• Encourage, support, and mentor others, including new and experienced nurses and faculty.
• Listen to others with interest and respect

Nursing Civility Proclamation

WHEREAS, the public views nurses as the most ethical and honest profession in the United States.

WHEREAS, overt and covert acts of incivility, disrespect, bullying, and other toxic emotional behaviors have a negative effect on nurses and others including burnout, fatigue, depression, panic attacks, substance abuse, moral distress, among other physiological effects.

WHEREAS, toxic emotional behaviors have a negative effect on organizations including employee engagement and patient satisfaction, clinical quality and patient safety, nursing turnover, and can exacerbate the nursing shortage.

WHEREAS, toxic emotional behaviors contribute to poor communication and teamwork, a leading cause in preventable harm in those who entrust their lives to nurses and other healthcare professionals to care for them.

WHEREAS, nurses are ethically obligated to care for each other and those we provide care to with civility regardless of race, ethnicity, socio-economic status, gender, physical ability, religious affiliation, language, sexual orientation, age, political orientation, veteran status, occupational status, geographical location and any other cultural diversities.

NOW, THEREFORE, be it resolved that we, the Tri-Council for Nursing, do hereby proclaim that Nursing Civility is to be practiced throughout the United States of America to establish healthy work environments that embraces and values cultural diversity, inclusivity, and equity.

We, the Tri-Council for Nursing call upon all nurses to recognize Nursing Civility and take steps to systematically reduce all acts of incivility in their professional practice, workplace environments, and in our communities.

• American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN)
• American Nurses Association (ANA)
• American Organization of Nurse Executives (AONE)
• National League for Nursing (NLN)