The survey poll that was conducted by the nursing union of the Royal College of Nursing, RCN in Scotland has found bullying and harassment a continuing problem in healthcare.
Stating that their findings were shocking, they said 21% of nurses have suffered abuse from fellow staff and managers over the past year. They further said that almost a quarter of those bullied had wanted changes in their work so as to get away from the bully and 1 in 10 resigned or found another job. Jane McCready of RCN Scotland said it was deplorable that an already stressful job was made even more difficult. He said that no individual should expect nurses to put up with bullying in the workplace.Explaining that many bullying victims were afraid to report it for fear of being victimised or being labelled a troublemaker, Ms McCready said, “We can't expect nurses to put up with this at work. No wonder many decided to change jobs or leave nursing altogether. Employers need to retain nurses, not have them leave because they feel they have been left with no other option.” She also added that the nurses experiencing problems at work should contact their local RCN steward for advice and support.
