Student Registered Nurse Anesthetists' Perceptions of Bullying and its Impact on Learning

Abstract

Background: Bullying is a form of violence and is described as unwelcome aggressive behavior(s) by unrelated individuals. The prevalence of bullying in the nursing profession has been reported to be as high as 31% in the United States, and has been studied extensively in undergraduate nursing, midwifery, medical school residencies, and Certified Registered Nurse Anesthesia (CRNA) professional roles. There is a significant gap in the literature and paucity of evidence about the extent of Student Registered Nurse Anesthesia (SRNA) bullying underscored that this topic required further investigation. Purpose: To investigate whether bullying behaviors occur among anesthesia preceptors, and if so, how SRNAs perceive bullying has affected their educational experience. Methods: The American Association of Nurse Anesthetists (AANA) disseminated an online survey based on an existing tool to SRNAs for this study. The study used a quantitative descriptive methodology consisting of a survey of nine demographic questions, eight 5-point Likert scale questions, and two multiple-choice questions. Setting and sample: A nationwide online survey sent to 1500 SRNAs yielded (N=133) participants, who were predominantly female (67.67%), in front-loaded programs (52.63%) with an average age of 24-29 years old. Results: Results revealed SRNAs entering clinical rotations in 2015 and 2016 were bullied more than those entering in 2017. The majority of the respondents (89.26%) reported that they couldn't think clearly when they were bullied. More than half of SRNAs agreed (74.62%) that bullying impedes learning. Overall, CRNA preceptors (85.48%) were reported as the most frequent bullies, with MD/DO anesthesiologists reported as the second most frequent (68.55%) followed by non-CRNA nursing staff (41.94%).