Healthcare and Bullying
Healthcare is one of the most bullying-prone industries. Many staff simply want to heal, help, comfort or teach others. Bullying happens when highly educated, well-paid professionals who enjoy unchallenged status enter the mix. It occurs within and across disciplines.
The 2009 JCAHCO Mandate
The Joint Commission wisely named its July 9, 2008 Issue 40 Sentinel Event Alert "Behaviors that undermine a culture of safety." It is abundantly clear that through the undermining of employee safety, disruptive individuals threaten patient safety, the core mission of every JCAHO-accredited hospital or organization.
In response to this safety threat, effective January 1, 2009, The Joint Commission created a new Leadership Standard (LD.03.01.01) to address intimidating, disruptive, and inappropriate behaviors.
Intimidating disruptive individuals are recognizable workplace aggressors, bullies by another name. JCAHO realizes that the problem can be organization-wide, resulting in a culture or workplace climate made toxic by destructive perpetrators. Stopping it requires deliberate employer action.
Read More about the MandateWork Doctor Healthcare Roots
The U.S. Workplace Bullying movement began in a California psychiatry clinic when Dr. Ruth Namie was trampled by an commandeering woman supervisor. Prior to that career detour, Ruth, with a doctorate in clinical psychology, worked for several years in mental health clinics.
Dr. Gary Namie was corporate director of Organizational Development for a multi-site hospital network in San Jose, CA and director of Management Development for Kaiser Permanente, Hawaii Region. He also was professor in a graduate university program in Health Services Management.
As Work Doctor consultants, the Namies count several healthcare organizations as clients.
Hire Work DoctorDr. Namie delivered a challenging and engaging presentation. He also encouraged and inspired our staff and community partners with the hope of putting an end to bullying and improving mental health in the workplace.
Healthcare-Specific Barriers
to Stopping Bullying
Bullying is endemic in healthcare. When perpetrators are physicians, it is nearly impossible to stop because so many of them are also owners of care centers and medical practice corporations. Given the physicians' role, it is hard for lower-ranking professionals to cross the power gradient upward.
Within nursing, the axiom "nurses eat their young" is rarely disputed. Cliques are powerful forces that tear cohesive groups apart and drive young nurses from the profession.
Finally, there is exposure to liability that paralyzes administrators. Bullying can lead to patient mortality. Attorneys convince administrators to remain silent about punishment for offending professionals fearing that patients' families would sue if they discovered that the organization tried to cure staff with problematic behavior.
Client List
•Central Peninsula Hospital, Soldotna, Alaska
•Centre for Addictions & Mental Health, Toronto
•University of California, Davis Medical Center
•Kaiser Permanente, Northern California Region
•John Muir Medical Center, Walnut Creek, California
•Oregon Health & Science University, Portland
•National Occupational Injury Research Symposium NIOSH
• Clarian Health Partners - Indiana University Hospitals, Indianapolis
•Work, Stress and Health - 4th, 5th, 6th, & 7th International Conferences
•American Public Health Association Occupational Safety & Health Research Symposium
•National Conference on Workplace Safety & Health Training