Leading Greats #20

Hear What? & Stunning Stats on Hearing Loss | Technology & Hearing Assistive Devices | Bullying in Healthcare & What Can Be Done about it | Leadership

August 06, 2023

Hello Friends,

Thank you for reading my newsletter “Leading Greats”!

This is where I bring reflections from my breadth of knowledge and experience in healthcare and leadership, incorporating well-being, plus new innovations.

I hope that you benefit from this information if even in some small way.

I appreciate your support!!

Thank YOU for being GREAT!

It has been another week of interesting conversations and discoveries - this issue focuses on a tough topic - Bullying.

I have been wanting to bring you experts in the field of eradicating bullying in the workplace.

What Are You Hearing?

According to the National Institute of Health as of 3/2021, approximately 15% of American adults (> 37.5 million) ages 18 and over report some trouble hearing.

  • One in eight people in the USA (>30 million) aged 12 years or older has hearing loss in both ears, based on standard exams.

  • Roughly 10 % of the USA adult population, or >25 million Americans, has experienced tinnitus(ringing in the ears) lasting at least five minutes in the past year.

Among adults aged 70 and older with hearing loss who could benefit from hearing aids, fewer than one in three (30%) has ever used them.

Fewer adults aged 20-69 (~16%) who could benefit from wearing hearing aids have ever used them.

Forbes reviewed hearing aids last week.

Here is the link to the article of Forbes Health Advisory Board expert opinions on what devices rank how, and cost what, for the chance of correcting hearing loss.

Bullying in Healthcare

This one is personal!

I have been waiting for the right opportunity to broach this topic - bullying, and specifically Bullying in Healthcare.

Let’s start out on the same page.

The definition includes:

  • Unwanted aggressive behavior

  • Observed or perceived power imbalance

  • Repletion or high likelihood of repetition of bullying behaviors

Now let’s look at what workplace violence (bullying) is defined as in healthcare by PubMed:

Workplace violence(WPV) in the healthcare system is vastly understudied.

While there is no universal definition of WPV, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health defines WPV as “as act or threat of violence on a spectrum that ranges from verbal abuse to physical and even lethal assault towards persons at work or on duty”.

Another means of classifying WPV is based on associated intent.

These are all listed in the link above.

  • I will get right to Type III - violence by colleagues and staff.

  • There lies a problem among healthcare staff!

  • I surely have experienced bullying in healthcare as an employee - on numerous occasions. I have been in a number of meetings about this. I have found alternate roles based on bullying in the workplace.

  • This one is surely real - bullying in healthcare.

Now - what to do about this issue of bullying in healthcare?!?

Meet Renee Thompson DNP, RN, FAAN, Workplace Bullying Expert.

I met Renee on LinkedIn back in the early pandemic.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/rtconnections/

Renee and I recently met face to face at a conference in Orlando in July.

Renee is a Registered Nurse with advance degrees. She started her business Healthy Workforce Institute over a decade ago dedicated to helping healthcare organizations create a healthy workforce by eradicating bullying and incivility.

Renee and I quickly bonded over being experienced in healthcare systems and observing from very early days in our separate careers how prevalent bullying was among healthcare staff: nurses, physicians, and other clinicians.

Renee was motivated to do something very specific about this as she observed other clinicians suffering, often silently. I applaud Renee for making some good noise about this very unfortunate behavior among clinicians and in healthcare systems otherwise.

A few WPV statistics:

  1. Prevalence: According to the American Nurses Association, nearly 50% of nurses have experienced some form of bullying during their careers.

  2. The types of bullying:This includes verbal abuse, humiliation, exclusion from decision-making processes, assigning heavy workloads unfairly, and even cyberbullying.

  3. Impact on Staff:Bullying negatively impacts the mental and physical health of nurses, leading to stress, anxiety, depression, and burnout. This can exacerbate the ongoing nursing shortage.

  4. Impact on Patient Care: Bullying compromises patient care as nurses facing such behavior may struggle to concentrate, communicate effectively, and collaborate with their colleagues, potentially leading to medical errors, and suboptimal care outcomes.

Leadership bears the responsibility of fostering a positive work environment that supports and uplifts clinical staff.

A few measures that can be taken to address nursing bullying:

  • Implement a Zero-tolerance policy

  • Encourage Reporting

  • Training and Education

  • Lead by Example

  • Supportive Resources

  • Cultivate a Positive Culture

Nursing and healthcare bullying are grave concerns that demand immediate attention and focused action.

This can feel like pushing a boulder, but positive impact is attainable with a focused plan and a committed team.

By fostering a culture of respect, empathy, and collaboration, it is possible to create a work environment where nursing staff and other clinicians can thrive while providing quality of care to patients and further benefitting the communities they serve.

The World Needs more Great Leaders!

How I came to be a Leadership Coach is that I am intimately aware of the struggles within organizations from the frontline, where I started - to the highest leadership level.

I saw positive ways to impact bad behavior and reinforce good behavior without alienating staff along the way.

This is no easy fix.

However, when an organization takes a stand and commits to making a rewarding difference such as handling bullying behavior, much needed progress can be appreciated.

A quote to leave you with:

“Nothing is impossible, the word itself says ‘I’m possible’!” - Audrey Hepburn

I had the distinct opportunity to meet Audrey Hepburn once in my early career.

That is all - for this issue - of Leading Greats!

I hope that you got something of benefit here - Thank You for your support!

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Til next time - Keep it Great,

-Ronnie

I help motivated professionals transform & improve on execution - so they may lead with increased engagement, effectiveness, and well-being.

  • Transformational Leadership Coach | Healthcare Leader | Advisor | Speaker

  • Reach out to schedule a call to inquire about my work @ ronniekinsey.net

  • https://www.linkedin.com/in/ronniekinseymba/