Articles

Workplace Harassment in Nursing: An Urgent Challenge in Healthcare

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Workplace harassment in nursing is a widespread issue that significantly impacts healthcare systems. Nurses frequently face various forms of harassment, including psychological abuse, bullying, and mobbing, from colleagues, supervisors, or even patients. This bibliographic review examines the prevalence, causes, and consequences of workplace harassment in nursing, drawing on extensive research and empirical evidence. The review defines workplace harassment in nursing, highlighting key concepts such as psychological harassment, role conflicts, and the effects of workplace dynamics on nurses’ well-being. It explores how hierarchical structures in healthcare institutions create power imbalances that make newly graduated and lower-ranking nurses more vulnerable.

Studies indicate that 10% to 30% of nurses experience workplace bullying, with many facing ongoing harassment. Contributing factors include high job demands, inadequate staffing, organizational culture, and weak institutional policies. The psychological effects are severe, leading to increased stress, anxiety, depression, burnout, and lower job satisfaction, ultimately affecting patient care. This review also explores individual and organizational risk factors. Personality traits like neuroticism and low self-esteem increase vulnerability, while role conflicts and unclear job responsibilities contribute to stress. Ineffective leadership, lack of support, and tolerance for abusive behaviors further exacerbate the issue.

To address workplace harassment, various interventions have been proposed, including leadership training, conflict resolution programs, psychological support, and zero-tolerance policies. Strategies such as emotional self-regulation training, peer support groups, and improved work conditions show promise in reducing workplace mistreatment. This review underscores the need for systemic changes in healthcare institutions to create a safer and more supportive work environment. Protecting nurses from harassment not only improves their well-being but also enhances healthcare quality.

Communication Skills of Generation Z Nursing Students in Establishing Nurse-Patient Relationships

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Now Gen Z is entering the nursing programs. It is known that communication is essential in the nursing profession, and it is the foundation of the relationship between the nurse and patient The study aimed to determine the communication skills of Gen Z nursing students in establishing nurse-patient relationships. The study used a descriptive, cross-sectional research design. The participants of the study were five hundred seventy (N = 570) Gen Z nursing students from HEIs in the province of Batangas, Philippines, and one hundred twenty-eight (N = 128) clinical instructors directly supervising them during their RLEs. A two-part researcher-structured questionnaire was the tool for data collection. The tool consisted of 10 critical indicators for determining the communication skills of nursing students, such as active listening, compassion, cultural awareness, nonverbal communication, patient education, personal connection, presentation skills, trust, verbal communication, and written communication skills, and four standards of nurse-patient relationships, indicated in the Nurses Association of New Brunswick (2020). Mean and independent t-test were used for data analysis. Results revealed that Gen Z excels at navigating digital technology, accepts individual differences, and has a sense of independence. Gen Z are respectful, transparent, diverse, and collaborative future healthcare practitioners. Gen Z nursing students asserted possessing very effective communication skills, whereas their clinical instructors rated them as only effective in establishing nurse-patient relationships. There were discernible variations in the assessments of communication skills and the effectiveness of establishing nurse-patient relationships between Gen Z nursing students and their clinical instructors. The study recommended that nursing programs should capitalize on Gen Z strengths by integrating technology-enhanced tools and platforms, optimize the achievement of learning outcomes by aligning clinical teaching strategies with the distinct learning styles of Gen Z nursing students, and incorporate training programs focused on improving advocacy skills, recognizing boundaries, and terminating nurse-patient relationships.