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Discrimination, sexual harassment and hostile work
environments should be a thing of the past, right? Apparently
not, based on what we heard from nurses in our national
nursing survey this past year and what we've heard anecdotally
from nurses nationwide.
Results from the NURSEWEEK/AONE National Survey of
Registered Nurses revealed that 13 percent of nurse
respondents reported they had personally experienced
discrimination based on gender, age or race in the past
year while working as a nurse. Twenty-seven percent
of non-Caucasian nurses reported being the victims of
discrimination, as did 29 percent of male nurses. Nurses
in urban areas reported a higher level of discrimination
(15 percent) than did nurses in suburban (12 percent)
and rural (11 percent) communities. There was little
variation in reported discrimination by the age of the
nurses.
The data are troubling for those of us in Texas and
Louisiana because a full 20 percent of the nurses in
what is designated as Region VII of the American Hospital
Association and AONE (Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas and
Oklahoma) reported being discriminated against in the
past year.
Nurses who participated in the survey were asked whether,
in their work as nurses in the past year, they had personally
experienced sexual harassment or a hostile work environment
related to physicians. Nineteen percent of the nurses
nationwide reported that they had. Nurses in inpatient
settings reported a higher degree of harassment/hostile
work environment (22 percent) than did nurses in ambulatory
settings (14 percent). Thirty-two percent of male nurses
had experienced sexual harassment/hostile work environment
related to physicians. Younger nurses (aged 18 to 34)
reported a higher level of harassment/hostile work environment
(23 percent) than did older nurses (18 percent for those
aged 35 to 44, 20 percent for nurses aged 45 to 54 and
15 percent for those aged 55 and older).
The same question was asked in relation to other staff
and 19 percent of nurses responding said they had experienced
sexual harassment or a hostile work environment related
to other staff. Again, male nurses experienced a higher
level of harassment/hostile work environment (27 percent).
The effect on the present and future nursing shortage
is evident. Nurses who said they planned to leave nursing
in the next three years had experienced discrimination
at a much higher rate (19 percent) than nurses who had
no plans to leave (9 percent). Nurses who plan to leave
also reported a higher level of sexual harassment/hostile
work environment by physicians (24 percent compared
to 16 percent of nurses not planning to leave), as well
as a higher level of sexual harassment/hostile work
environment by other staff (25 percent compared to 15
percent of nurses not planning to leave).
Discrimination, sexual harassment and hostile work
environments are zero-tolerance issues. There is no
gray area. No occurrence is acceptable nor should any
be tolerated. The data are clear that we do not yet
come close to achieving that. Organizations have a responsibility
to honestly evaluate their work environments and make
changes to ensure that no nurse should have to put up
with discrimination or sexual harassment, nor should
any nurse have to work in a hostile work environment.
Nurses have a responsibility to report any and every
occurrence of discrimination, sexual harassment and
hostile work environments. Together, we can eliminate
these immoral and illegal activities and create a better
workplace for everyone.
Discuss this and other topics with your colleagues
at www.nurseweek.com/rnvillage
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