How Nursing Faculty Experience the Effects of Workplace Incivility

AIM The purpose of this study was to describe nursing faculty experiences with workplace incivility and the effect it has on their health. This article reports results of the qualitative portion of a larger study. BACKGROUND Nursing faculty have reported the physical and psychological impact of incivility on their lives. The negative effects that workplace incivility, specifically, has on nursing faculty require ongoing research and attention. METHOD Using an electronic survey, 249 nursing faculty from one Southeastern US state responded to two open-ended questions about workplace incivility and its effects. Data were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. RESULTS Four categories related to experiences with workplace incivility emerged: the experience; personal and professional impact; a reciprocal, organizational culture problem; and survival. CONCLUSION Nursing faculty experiences with workplace incivility constitute an organizational culture problem with both personal and professional implications.