Don't be nasty: A phenomenological study of newly licensed nurses and workplace bullying

Background Bullying behaviors whether verbal, emotional, or physical impact nurses in several ways. Aim The purpose of this study was to describe how newly licensed nurses managed the bullying behaviors they experienced. Methods A qualitative descriptive design was used with 24 newly licensed nurses. Interviews followed an open-ended, semi-structured interview guide. Colaizzi's procedural steps for phenomenological analysis were used to analyze the transcript data. Results Six themes emerged from the qualitative data: The Bullying, The Perception of the Event, How Bullying Affected Them, How They Dealt with Bullying, How They Wished Bullying Had Been Managed, and What the School Should Do. Conclusions Organizational support, in the form of policies and procedures, could reduce bullying behaviors and improve nurse efficiency. Additionally, nursing schools can incorporate education about bullying into their curricula to both better prepare new nurses and break the cycle of bullying among nurses.