Surgeons Who Bully Nurses

Peer Discussion Post One

I felt the same chills when I read the scenario! I think every nurse (or health practitioner) has worked with a surgeon who thinks he is so brilliant (and is considered so brilliant by the management) he is allowed to get away with all sorts of incivility. Eventually, abusive behavior becomes normalized, when one person is allowed to engage in it. In retrospect, I think when incivility from a respected surgeon like this is permitted, it is even worse when another nurse engages in horizontal violence, or so-called eating their young (Gillespie, et al., 2017). When someone who is revered acts as though it is beneath him to act civilly, acting disdainfully and uncivilly becomes to be seen as synonymous with competence, versus what it is, a real threat to a healthy atmosphere and the retention of trusted employees at every level. No one wants to work with people who behave like the surgeon in the scenario, particularly if management condones it.

I think that the advocacy model you describe is very apt. Nurses are used to acting as patient advocates. It is part of our job description. Yet we also must act as advocates for other nurses. Nurses should not have to suffer unethical forms of harassment simply to do their work, and to try to force them to do so shows a profound lack of respect for the difficult work nurses do. The incident you describe also highlights the need for creating a system of reporting in which nurses do not feel at risk if they contest certain actions of a powerful surgeon. Nurses are already in a high-risk profession for emotional violence from patients and other providers; as you note, when this risk is compounded by status, this can severely impede the quality-of-care patients receive, if nurses are afraid to speak out if they believe the patient’s interests are not being taken care of. A heathy workplace environment for nurses is ultimately a healthy environment for patients. It is against the law as well as common ethical practices for nurses to be harassed for any reason, and sometimes HR needs to be reminded of this.