1. It puts patient safety at risk
Bullying does not just hurt staff, it endangers patients. New nurses who are afraid to ask questions, because asking gets them mocked, make decisions they are not ready to make. Picture a new graduate who does not know what metoprolol is, gives it rather than question the preceptor, and the patient's pressure was already 84/42. That harm was avoidable. A trainee who feels safe asking would have caught it. Encourage questions. You would rather field one than clean up after a silent guess.
2. It drives nurses out
Nobody wants to work next to someone who degrades them. New nurses often quit within their first year, and other nurses are frequently the reason. The work is hard enough without that. Take new staff under your wing, defend them, and help them. You keep more nurses on the floor that way, and the floor runs better.
3. It is a cycle that feeds itself
One nurse discourages another, who turns around and discourages the next. Short staffing is already a problem, and bullying makes it worse by pushing people out. Every nurse affects another, so be the one who supports rather than the one who corrodes. Stop eating our young. The profession needs more of us, not fewer.
Frequently Asked Questions
What counts as nurse bullying? Repeated, unwanted harmful actions meant to humiliate, offend, or distress a coworker, per the American Nurses Association. Think public shaming for a mistake, name-calling, withholding help a new nurse needs, or freezing someone out of the team.
Is bullying the same as incivility? No. The ANA defines incivility as rude or disrespectful behavior that may not carry intent to harm, while bullying is repeated and intended to harm. Both belong to the same problem and both fall under workplace violence as NIOSH frames it.
How does bullying hurt patients? New nurses who fear being mocked stop asking questions, and silence at the bedside leads to avoidable errors. A trainee who feels safe to ask catches the mistake a frightened one would make.
Does bullying drive nurses to quit? Yes. New nurses often leave within their first year, and coworkers are frequently the reason. Losing staff worsens the short-staffing that fuels more bullying.
What can I do if I witness it? Take new staff under your wing, defend them, and answer their questions without judgment. The ANA holds that both nurses and employers share responsibility for a workplace free of incivility, bullying, and violence.
Are there rules against it? Yes. The ANA position statement calls on nurses and employers to build a culture of respect, and a growing number of states have passed workplace-violence laws covering healthcare settings.