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She documented all the incidents, appealed to management and human resources, and followed hospital policy. She and her coworkers ultimately lost their jobs as part of a reduction in force while the physician was allowed to stay in his position. Nine months later, the physician threw a male nurse against a wall, and the hospital finally took action, transferring him to another position. A lawsuit is pending.

But the lawsuit came too late for June, who thinks the system failed her and the other nurses.

“It took an actual act of physical violence before the hospital administrators took the complaints of the OR nurses seriously,” June said. “By finally acting on the situation when a male nurse became involved illustrates that hospital administration condoned the behavior as long as it affected only female nurses.”

Silent epidemic

The scenario of bullying has become all too prevalent in hospitals and workplaces across the United States.According to Namie’s most recent studies for 2003, 70% of people targeted by a bully leave their workplace, 33% for their health, and 37% because they were victims of a performance appraisal system manipulated to show they were incompetent.

Data for Namie’s studies were gathered in 2003 from anonymous and confidential online surveys that were posted at the website bullyinginstitute.org, a “nonscientific” sample of 1,000 volunteer respondents who visited the website seeking solutions to their vexing problems at work attributed to a directly experienced cruelty from one or more persons. Human resources experts peg the cost of replacing an employee at two to three times that person’s salary.

Health care costs also may rise for a company, as a bully’s targets become affected by stress-related illnesses. According to Namie, 39% of bully targets become depressed, with 41% of targeted women and 37% of targeted men being diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder. “Bullying is a silent epidemic that affects one in six workers,” Namie said.

To successfully combat bullying in the workplace, Namie recommends using the following strategies:

> Stop listening to the bully’s lies and verbal assaults. Too many people internalize the bully’s actions, start questioning their own skills, and become steeped in self-blame just like a domestic violence victim, Namie said. Realize that bullying is a form of psychological violence. Begin by warning the bully that his or her behavior is unacceptable.

> Take a time-out. Namie says it’s crucial to have a bullyproofing period away from the workplace, where victims can talk to a counselor and get their health together. “Employees need to seek outside assistance,” Namie said. “Talking to your HR department won’t help because they support management.”

> Look for new opportunities. This is also a good time to begin a job search before your health deteriorates. “Once you’ve been targeted by a bully, you have a 70% chance of losing your job,” Namie said. “It’s better to leave on your own with your health still intact.’

> Begin bullybusting. The only successful option for fighting a workplace bully is documentation. “You need to present to the employer why it’s too costly to keep this bully employed,” Namie said. “Make a business case by showing the high turnover in your department, increase of sick time, the number of employees on antidepressants, etc.”

Bullybusting also can prove effective if workers band together to confront the bully.

“Coworkers need to support whomever is being targeted by the bully,” Namie said. “Approach the bully together and let them know this is unacceptable behavior and it will no longer be tolerated.”

Combat bullying

Donna McNeese-Smith, RN, EdD, has met many bullies in the 17 years she worked as a nurse administrator. An associate professor of nursing at UCLA, McNeese-Smith now teaches her nursing administration graduate students how to combat bullying and other nonprofessional behaviors within their own medical facilities.

“I truly believe it’s the job of the nursing administrator to protect their staff against this harmful practice,” she said.

“Nurse managers need to be adopt a zero tolerance policy against bullying. They wouldn’t allow inappropriate sexual harassment or domestic violence in the workplace, and bullying is just one more destructive behavior.”

Taking a stance against bullies is also imperative given the nursing shortage. Administrators need to stand up for their staff — or risk losing valuable nurses.

McNeese-Smith recommends nursing administrators make certain that staff have clear policies on dealing with verbal abuse and know they can rely on their managers to enforce respectful relationships and communication.

Confronting this kind of behavior is an important part of the nurse executive’s job, and nursing administrators must be prepared to firmly confront this behavior.

“If nurses don’t receive validation from administration, they need to find a job elsewhere,” McNeese-Smith said. “There’s no reason to continue working in an environment that is damaging your health.”

Contact Linda Childers at eastbaypr@aol.com.