Experiences of Self-Reported Bullying in Minority Nurses within Acute Care Hospital Workplace Settings – A Grounded Theory Approach

Abstract

Background: Thirty-five percent of all the known workforce in the United States, across all genders, races, and ethnicities are bullied at work. According to the Workplace Bullying Institute (2017) racial/ethnic minorities in the general population are bullied at a higher rate. By estimating that these trends would continue and remain applicable, racial/Ethnic minority female nurses, as a significant subset of nurses, maybe bullied at a higher rate than Caucasian counterparts. While nurses in the United States (US) who are studied in the health workplace are largely women, female minority wellbeing in the workforce is especially understudied primarily because minority nurses are subsumed in aggregate data that represents predominantly white women. There has been a longstanding goal to increase numbers of minority nurses in all areas of nursing practice but in particular in acute care to advance trust and confidence in quality of care with diverse communities served. The need for minority nurses and wanting to understand the experiences that would draw and keep them in the nurse workforce is a significant area in need of study. Objective: The objective of this study was to give “voice” to the experience of minority nurses who self-identified as being bullied at work in acute care settings by understanding their experience. Two key areas of exploration were 1) understanding what is experienced and 2) using these data to create an explanatory model that could guide nursing organizations to create a welcoming environment for employment and success of minority nurses. Design: Face-to-Face semi-structured recorded interviews and survey data including participant demographics and characteristics of professional life and range of support systems in each participant’s personal and professional life. Setting The study of nurses currently or formerly employed at Boston, Massachusetts area hospital was conducted at neutral locations outside of the workplace. Participants: Purposive, typical sampling. Eighteen female minority nurses who work in acute care facilities in the Boston, MA area. Methods: This study used a constructivist grounded theory method to examine the experiences of self-reported bullying of female racial/ethnic minority nurses in the acute care/hospital workplace. Results: It was found that organizational racism and discrimination foster an environment where WPB against minorities can flourish. The workplace culture and facility processes appear not to mitigate these circumstances. These mechanisms serve to maintain the status quo and allows those with both formal and informal power to maintain control. Conclusion: Minority female nurses who are subjected to bullying are forced to conserve their personal resources. They respond by becoming silent about their work conditions or by leaving the job. The consequences of this disengagement by a vital portion of the workforce negatively affects the individuals, the organization, and society.