Lynda Olender
Hunter Bellevue School of Nursing, USA
Title: The relationship between and factors influencing, the staff nurses’ perception of nurse manager caring and their perceived exposure to workplace bullying within multiple healthcare settings
Biography
Biography: Lynda Olender
Abstract
Objective: To examine the relationship between, and factors influencing, the staff nurses’ perception of nurse manager caring and their perceived exposure to workplace bullying within multiple healthcare settings.
Background: This study was based on Watson’s theoretical position (1979, 2008) that caring is reciprocal in nature and promotes caring and healing for and among each other (and including within an administrative context).
Methods: A descriptive correlational design was employed to assess staff nurses self report of nurse manage caring (using the Caring Factor Survey-Caring of the Manager, Nelson, 2010) and their perception of being exposed to negative acts meeting the definition of workplace bullying, among 156 staff nurses working within multiple healthcare settings in a large metropolitan area within the United States.
Results: Results confirmed a significant inverse relationship between nurse manager caring and exposure to workplace bullying in the nursing workplace (r = .534, p .001) meaning that as staff nurses’ perceptions of their nurse manager caring increases, their perception of exposure to negative acts (meeting the definition of workplace bullying) significantly decreases. Study findings also indicated that gender and workload negatively influenced these findings. Further, data analysis revealed that staff nurses who were females and those who worked in Medical/Surgical settings were significantly more likely to perceive their managers as caring (p < .05 respectively) and that a high workload significantly influenced the staff nurses perception of exposure to bullying (p < .05) in the workplace.
Conclusions/Clinical Relevance: In consideration of the 2025 prediction of severe nursing shortages as baby-boomer nurses retire at the same time the demand for health care will increases (AACN, 2009), study findings highlight the importance of caring leadership to ensure the health and availability of our nursing workforce. Study findings also suggest the need for shifting nurse manager work priorities to optimize their time and availability to staff at the point of care. Further, empirical findings lend support for the design and implementation of caring curriculum and related competencies for nursing leaders both within the clinical and academic work settings.