Horizontal Violence Essay -- Health Care, Nursing

Nursing is a healthcare profession that helps prevent, promote and optimize the health and abilities of families and communities. With such a noble and caring profession is very sad that violence, or bullying, exists among nurses and other healthcare disciplines. This type of violence is called lateral or horizontal violence. Violence is defined as any inappropriate behavior confrontation or conflict that causes low self esteem or other injuries. Horizontal violence is known to be the type of violence between coworkers. For some people this type of violence new and in the healthcare field, nurses world, it describes the behavior nurse have towards colleagues or other healthcare entities. This type of behavior interferes with communication and teamwork needed in order to promote and care for others. For this reason this type of behavior not only affects healthcare workers but also the community and families that we are taking care of. At the end of all if there is a behavior that caus es another nurse to be offended or inability to perform their job is considered to be horizontal violence (Morse, K.J., 2008). Horizontal Violence in Nursing Horizontal violence is a behavior that has been reported and documented in nursing and other healthcare professions for years and decades. This type of behavior has provided negative and serious outcomes for the nursing profession and patients. â€Å"Horizontal violence is the act of threatening, humiliating, or actually inflicting physical, mental or emotional harm on a peer or group† (Norris, T., 2010). Discrimination, vulgarity, and sexual harassment may be the first things that come to mind when mentioning this type of violence, but sadly these are not the only ways that horizontal violence may... ...lth department today. Creating a safe and nurturing environment can only be achieved by nurses working together and adhering to their code of ethics; for this reason we should maintain the safety or our nurses by eliminating violence, educating and supporting them when needed. It is crucial for the nursing profession to address violence to improve retention and recruitment of nurses. Horizontal violence behaviors are not conducive to a culture of safety, which is what healthcare should be all about. Nursing Manages, Hospitals and different organizations must have a â€Å"zero tolerance† policy for this behaviors and a protection policy for the nurses reporting the situations. Only we as nurses and other health care personnel have the capacity to eliminate horizontal violence and fulfill our commitment to our patients, families and communities in a safe environment.