b'|WORKPLACEHitting Close to Home cidesmall but significant numbers.How Three Key Issues Impact Nurses ISSUE 3: HARASSMENT AND BULLYINGThe prevalence of workplace harassment has Mental Health By Lynne Gross recently come to light in many industries, accompanied by long-overdue calls for change. I ts difficult to imagine an industry thattheir hospital was understaffed. Bullying and harassment remain a problem should be more proactive in addressingThe increasing shortage of trained per- within the nursing industry as well, with mental health concerns than healthcaresonnel compounds every issue facingalmost 40 percent of nurses reporting inci-itself. Yet over one-third of nurses (35 percent)todays nurses. Understaffing negativelydents during the past year.believe it is still taboo to discuss mental healthaffected workloads for 88 percent of nursesNurses face this abuse from many direc-struggles among other nurses. in 2018, up significantly from 62 per- tions, and in all areas of their work. Bullying This surprising statistic emerged from acent reported in 2016. This widening gapand harassment incidents come from other study my company recently conducted onimpacts both mental health of nurses andnurses (30 percent), patients (25 percent), the challenges facing modern nurses andpatient care, as more than half (54 percent)physicians (23 percent) and administrators is likely rooted more in healthcare culturereported their workload had negatively(22 percent). Fortunately, there is hope on than the industrys understanding of men- impacted their mental health, and 62 per- the horizon, as instances of workplace hos-tal health needs. But the fact that a signif- cent believed the shortage was diminishingtility appear to be decreasing for nurses. In icant percentage of healthcare providersthe quality of care they could provide. 2016, 45 percent of nurses reported bullying believe they cannot discuss mental healthNurses want administrators and gov- by other nurses, 38 percent by physicians problems with co-workers signals that weernment to continue exploring options toand 41 percent by administrators.still have a long way to go. alleviate the shortage, including govern- Although reports of sexual harass-Overall, and perhaps most pressing forment subsidies for schooling (38 percent)ment were less common than other forms the industry, 35 percent of nurses reportedand the creation of new nursing programsof harassment, 21 percent of nurses are that the state of their mental health had(29 percent). Temporary staffing, includ- still subjected to it in the workplace, with negatively impacted their work. Nearly halfing travel nursing, is another viable solutionpatients responsible for the majority of the of all respondents (49 percent) had consid- to burnout and workload issues, accordingincidents. Any amount of harassmentof ered leaving nursing in the past two years. to 59 percent of nurses, and could provideany kindis unacceptable, and as the med-As our understanding of mental healthquicker relief to areas where the nursingical industry leans into the larger cultural care improves, so will our ability to help. Ourshortage is most acute. movements to decrease harassment and study highlights three issues that contributebullying, it will pay off in significant bene-to mental health struggles for nurses, andISSUE 2: BURNOUT fits to nurses mental health.where the industry should focus its efforts. The nursing shortage also contributes toThese three issues highlight work that burnout. In 2018, 62 percent of nursesneeds to be done by individuals and orga-ISSUE 1: NATIONWIDE NURSINGreported feeling regularly burned out innizations across the entire medical industry. SHORTAGE their jobs. Forty-four percent of those nursesIf we all work together to create solutions The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicted thatbelieved that burnout had affected their workto address the nursing shortage, reduce 1.2 million vacancies would emerge for regis- performance. burnout, and stop harassment, we will also tered nurses between 2014 and 2022, a num- As hours and expectations increase, theimprove nurses mental health, bringing ber that has been met with everything fromdrain on mental health can be significant.healing to the healers. ninformed skepticism to carefully consideredNearly a quarter of nurses (24 percent) reported doomsday prophecies. Although the short- taking medication for anxiety or depressionLynne Gross is vice president at RNnetwork, age has been felt in some areas of the countryand three percent of nurses attribute thea travel nurse staffing company based in ISTOCKmore than others, 91 percent of nurses saiddemands of their profession to thoughts of sui- Boca Raton, Flawww.elitecme.com |2019| MENTAL HEALTH 17'