Lateral Violence has a long history among nurses, the difference now is that it has a name.  The phrase “Nurses eat their young” is a true statement and should no longer be taken lightly or as an excuse for demeaning behavior.  Every aspect of a facility is affected by lateral violence from job satisfaction and productivity to patient satisfaction and safety, to turnover rate, and all of these affect reimbursement in some form.  Lateral Violence should be the antithesis of nursing.

Proposed change:

     We are striving to create an environment that promotes each other while at the same time holding everyone accountable for unacceptable behavior.   The formation and implementation of an employee contract in conjunction with the creation of a Lateral Violence policy are in the near future. 

Implementation, outcomes and evaluation:

     The process began by emailing a short survey to all staff members to see what the base knowledge and perception was concerning Lateral Violence.  The results of the survey indicated a need for education and intervention.   Following the education pieces, posters placed in our units and a PowerPoint presentation, we re-surveyed staff to check the effectiveness of our interventions.   The results were fantastic which means our project is continuing to grow!  We are now in the process of implementing suggestions made by the staff concerning accountability, managerial support and peer involvement.  Shared governance is an integral part of the success of this project.  We are sharing our presentation, implementations and evaluations with other units and hospitals in the Baylor System to increase the number of nurses who can benefit.    

Implications for nursing practice:

     Nursing is a career built on compassion and servant hood, so why can we be so mean to our peers?  The annihilation of Lateral Violence would impact nursing profoundly by keeping it a profession to be proud of.  A profession built on mutual respect and teamwork with a common goal, the healing and safety of the people we care for.  Another significant advantage is the financial benefit to the hospitals financially by decreasing the turnover rate therefore reducing the monies spent on orientation of new employees and lost time of current employees.  This creates happier nurses, which equal happier patients creating a safer environment for our patients and their families.   We continue to think of new ideas, which translate into a win-win for our patients, staff and our hospital. 

Keywords: Lateral Violence, Horizontal Violence, Bullying