Where lateral violence exists, there can be serious negative outcomes for registered nurses, their employers and the patients in their care. Job satisfaction and decreased quality of patient care exemplify the personal, professional and organizational costs which result from tolerating abusive behavior. 60% of new-to-practice nurses who leave their first professional position do so because of lateral violence; of these, 20% leave the nursing profession forever. One in three experienced nurses leave a position because of lateral violence. This problem is so prevalent that the Center for American Nurses published a position statement in 2008: Lateral/Horizontal Violence and Bullying in the Workplace.