1 6 • O
U T P A T I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E • O C T O B E R 2 0 2 0
I
was working as a brand-new circulator when
the surgeon on the case started making snide
comments about one of the OR nurses — a sar-
castic jab here, a dig there. Soon the scrub tech
joined in, and before long there was a textbook
example of bullying taking place during a procedure
in full view of residents, fellows and medical stu-
dents. The nurse these comments were directed
toward didn't catch most of what was said — partly
because English was her second language and part-
ly because the cowards were talking behind her
back. But did that make it any better?
Here was a good nurse who was working
extremely hard for a surgeon who belittled her in
front of her peers. I wasn't going to be a bystander
to the abuse, so I walked up to the surgeon and
said, "Hey, that nurse who you're talking about is
working hard for you. If you're going to talk about
her, you need to do it to her face."
I knew I had to speak up. As surgical leaders, you
need to provide our staff the tools, training and con-
fidence to do the same.
Spot bullying behaviors
Bullying is defined as "repeated and deliberate phys-
ical, verbal or written conduct intended to intimi-
date, degrade or humiliate any individual or group
in the workplace." As a facility leader, it's your
responsibility to recognize the signs that bullying is
occurring in the OR. Here are just a few of the com-
mon signs:
• supervisors singling out one team member with
unfair or unequal assignments
• gossiping
• backstabbing
• withholding informing that's critical to doing
the job
• refusal to help
• direct or indirect threats
• exclusion
• jokes or slurs based on appearance, ethnicity,
sexuality, etc.
• demeaning non-verbal behaviors (eye-rolling,
for example)
All too often, bullying is viewed as something
Keep Bullying Out of the OR
Give staff the tools and training they need to create a culture of civility.
Staffing
Andrea Dyer, MSN, RN, CNOR
STRONGER TOGETHER Andrea Dyer, MSN, RN, CNOR (left), with an OR team that's built on positivity and support.
Andrea
Dyer,
MSN,
RN,
CNOR