Date of Conferral

2018

Degree

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)

School

Nursing

Advisor

Susan J. Hayden

Abstract

Most nurses experience lateral violence (LV) during their careers. LV can be detrimental to nurses' livelihoods and careers, to facilities due to nurse replacement costs, to the nursing profession due to attrition, and to patient safety. The purpose of this staff education project was to educate registered nurses on the issue of LV and to equip nurses to respond to their aggressors. The project question addressed whether education would increase awareness of LV and empower nurses to stand up to their aggressors. The theory of the nurse as the wounded healer, social learning theory, and the theory of reciprocal determinism guided this project. Pretest, posttest, and evaluation data were collected from 155 nurse participants who completed an online education module. Data were analyzed by calculating the change scores between pretests and posttests and by assessing the evaluation data based on the number of nurses who answered at the highest positive levels on a Likert-style scale. Results showed a 24.64% increase in awareness from the pretest to posttest. Evaluation data indicated that nurses felt they had a better understanding of LV, felt better equipped to confront their aggressors, were concerned about the incidence of LV in the workplace, and wanted further education. Findings may be used to support positive change through routine education on LV to enable nurses to identify LV behaviors and use strategies including cognitive rehearsal, conflict resolution, and emotional intelligence to combat LV and change the culture of the nursing profession.

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