Lateral Violence

LATERAL VIOLENCE IN NURSING PROJECT

Upstate Area Health Education Center (AHEC) has, for the second year in a row, 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. Last year, Upstate AHEC successfully secured funding for its SC Cross Cultural Healthcare Project which, after a highly successful first year in the Upstate, will expand into the Lowcountry in October 2007 and will be accessible to the Mid-Carolina and Pee Dee regions of the state by the fall of 2008.

This new award will enable Upstate AHEC to aggressively 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 consciously or unconsciously 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.

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.

Specific project components include: 1) Organizational Self-Surveys designed to assist nursing leaders in assessing current institutional climate; 2) Nursing Leadership Summits that provide a forum in which Chief Nursing Officers and nursing school Deans and Directors can explore best practices for addressing lateral violence within their facilities; 3) Organizational Consulting to assist nursing leaders in planning, implementing, and evaluating lateral violence interventions within their institutions; 4) Skill Building Workshops tailored to meet the unique needs of five distinct groups: newly licensed nurses, staff nurses, nurse managers, senior nursing students, and nursing school faculty; and 5) Train-the-Trainer Classes designed to create a cadre of knowledgeable, school and organization-based instructors to promote program self-sufficiency and sustainability.

Dianne Jacobs, MSN, RN, previously an Upstate AHEC Continuing Education Consultant, will be the Director for the Upstate Lateral Violence in Nursing Project. Susan Kyzer, MSN, RN, will be the Project Training Coordinator. Ms. Kyzer also manages the SC Cross Cultural Healthcare Project. Together, Ms. Jacobs and Ms. Kyzer staff the newly formed Upstate AHEC Nursing Projects Team.


	LATERAL VIOLENCE IN NURSING PROJECT Upstate Area Health Education Center (AHEC) has, for the second year in a row, 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. Last year, Upstate AHEC successfully secured funding for its SC Cross Cultural Healthcare Project which, after a highly successful first year in the Upstate, will expand into the Lowcountry in October 2007 and will be accessible to the Mid-Carolina and Pee Dee regions of the state by the fall of 2008. This new award will enable Upstate AHEC to aggressively 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 consciously or unconsciously 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. 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. Specific project components include: 1) Organizational Self-Surveys designed to assist nursing leaders in assessing current institutional climate; 2) Nursing Leadership Summits that provide a forum in which Chief Nursing Officers and nursing school Deans and Directors can explore best practices for addressing lateral violence within their facilities; 3) Organizational Consulting to assist nursing leaders in planning, implementing, and evaluating lateral violence interventions within their institutions; 4) Skill Building Workshops tailored to meet the unique needs of five distinct groups: newly licensed nurses, staff nurses, nurse managers, senior nursing students, and nursing school faculty; and 5) Train-the-Trainer Classes designed to create a cadre of knowledgeable, school and organization-based instructors to promote program self-sufficiency and sustainability. Dianne Jacobs, MSN, RN, previously an Upstate AHEC Continuing Education Consultant, will be the Director for the Upstate Lateral Violence in Nursing Project. Susan Kyzer, MSN, RN, will be the Project Training Coordinator. Ms. Kyzer also manages the SC Cross Cultural Healthcare Project. Together, Ms. Jacobs and Ms. Kyzer staff the newly formed Upstate AHEC Nursing Projects Team.



















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