LATERAL VIOLENCE: UPSTATE LATERAL VIOLENCE IN NURSING PROJECT

In 2007, Upstate Area Health Education Center (AHEC) received a three-year grant from the Nursing Education, Practice and Retention Program of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration to address a significant, but rarely acknowledged problem within the nursing profession:  lateral violence.

Sometimes jokingly referred to as “nurses eating their young,” the phenomenon of lateral violence in nursing is insidious, costly, and potentially devastating.  It has been linked to high nursing turnover, increased illness and absenteeism, decreased productivity, and lower quality of patient care.  Defined as behavior overtly or covertly used to control, undermine, or devalue an individual or group, lateral violence is often associated with oppressed peoples and situations involving unequal power relations.  In nursing, lateral violence generally takes the form of psychological harassment evidenced by verbal abuse, intimidation, exclusion, unfair assignments, denial of access to opportunities, and withholding of information.  While generally ascribed to individuals, lateral violence can also be symptomatic of unhealthy organizational dynamics.

To date, over 2000 nurses have received training through the Upstate Lateral Violence In Nursing Project and the trainings are resonating with the nurses.   Their stories are compelling. What we have learned from the nurses surveyed through  Personal Experience Surveys is:

• 93% have witnessed lateral violence among co-workers.
• 85% have been a victim of lateral violence.
• The experienced nurse is most often the perpetrator of the behavior and the novice nurse is most often the victim.
• The most common method of handling lateral violence behavior is to ignore it.

Fortunately, recent research indicates that lateral violence can be significantly reduced or eliminated when the behavior is recognized, acknowledged, and appropriately and consistently addressed at both the organizational and individual level.  Consequently, the Upstate AHEC Lateral Violence in Nursing Project is designed to provide nurses at every level — from hospital-based Chief Nursing Officers and University Deans to students and newly licensed RNs — with the knowledge and skills necessary to identify the problem and reduce both its prevalence and harmful effects.

If you would like to hear more about our program and what you can do to begin addressing this behavior at your facility, please contact us by email or call us at the number listed below.

Dianne Jacobs
Nursing Project Coordinator
Upstate AHEC
Djacobs@upstateahec.org
(864) 349-1160