Assignment 2: Conference Abstract

A Phenomenological Study of Nursing Students Experiences of Peer-to-Peer Lateral Violence

Bio
Marjorie Reilly BA, BSN, RN is an instructor at Columbia Greene Community College (CGCC)
in Hudson, New York. In her current role, Marjorie is full time faculty, teaching in the associate
degree nursing program at CGCC. Marjorie teaches first and second-year students in the
classroom, simulation lab, and clinical settings. Marjories research interests include, end-of life
decision-making, palliative care, pain management, and lateral violence in nursing. Marjorie is
currently enrolled in SUNY Delhis Master of Science in Education program, with an expected
graduation date of May, 2017.
Conference
This conference, presented by ATI nursing is the 2017 National Nurse Educator Summit in
Orlando, Florida. Abstract submissions were asked to explore common challenges of nursing
education, and the examination of critical issues that will help nurse educators prepare
themselves and their students for the future. (National Nurse Educator Summit, 2017).
Conference link with abstract details: https://www.conferenceabstracts.com/cfp2/login.asp?
EventKey=APNEMTTU
Areas to be included in abstract:
Purpose
Introduction
Methodology/Implementation
Evaluation/Results
Conclusion/Recommendations
 Nursing Students Experiences of Peer-to Peer Lateral Violence
Purpose (75 word maximum)

The topic explored by this study was nursing students experiences of peer-to-peer lateral
violence (LV). Competition for seats, resources, clinical accommodations, and instructor time,
along with the stress of study are thought to be possible explanations for this phenomenon.
Interestingly, LV has been found to exist in as early as the pre-requisite phase of nursing
coursework. This study examines the phenomenon of LV, with closer examination of LV in the
pre-requisite of nursing education.

(Cooper& Curzio, 2012; Young, 2011)

Introduction (75 word maximum)

The majority of existing research focuses upon the LV experiences of nursing students occurring
in clinical settings, as perpetrated by staff nurses, nursing instructors, and physicians. However
there is a dearth of research studying peer-to-peer LV in nursing school, especially during the
pre-requisite stages of nursing programs. The question this research sought to answer was, what
are the experiences of nursing students in regard to the phenomenon of LV from pre-requisite
coursework to graduation?
(American Nurses Association, 2011; Mott, 2014)
Methodology/Implementation (150 words maximum)
The principle researcher was Marjorie Reilly. Data was collected using a standardized open-
ended interview format. Study participants were a convenience sample of associate degree
nursing students in their first (pre-requisite) through last year of nursing school. The interviews
were researcher-led. However, participants were encouraged to elaborate or branch off from
questions, and probes were employed, in order to allow unanticipated themes to be revealed. In
addition, by encouraging clarifying questions, misconceptions and misunderstandings were
minimized. Interviews, lasting approximately two hours, were video-recoded. After each
interview, additional notes were made to record subtleties and impressions of the researcher that
may not have been apparent in the video recordings. Identifiers were removed from the data, and
were only available to the principle researcher. Data has been stored in a secure data base.
Colazzis method of phenomenological data analysis was used, and themes were extracted.
Evaluation/Results (150 Words maximum)
This study found peer-to-peer lateral violence experiences exist throughout all phases of nursing
school. Students reported that concerns as competition for grades (which determined seats in the
nursing program) in the pre-requisite period, inhibited the development of collaborative and
teamwork skills so vital to nursing practice. Further, students reported that these habits and hard
feelings from the pre-requisite phase were carried into the nursing programs. Students reported
experiencing bullying behaviors in pre-requisite classes, especially in laboratory settings where
students had a high-level of interaction. Students reported that these behaviors established habits
and hierarchies that carried into nursing coursework, with some students at the top and others
feeling like klutzy dummies. Additionally, transfer students who joined the cohort after the
pre-requisite period felt subject to this pre-established hierarchy. Nearly all participants reported
that such LV behaviors created a compromised learning environment, which carried into the
clinical setting as well.
Conclusion/Recommendations (50 words maximum)
Identifying and understanding the roots of LV, and educating students about this phenomenon, is
an important role for nursing educators seeking to help students integrate this knowledge into
their individual practice. In so doing, educators will support the development of professional,
ethical nurses with effective communication and conflict resolution skills.
 References
American Nurses Association. (2011). Lateral violence and bullying in nursing. Retrieved from
http://www.nursingworld.org/Mobile/Nursing-Factsheets/lateral-violence-and-bullying-
in-nursing.html
Cooper, B., & Curzio, J. (2012). Peer bullying in a pre-registration student nursing population.
Nurse Education Today, 32(8), 939-944. doi:10.1016/j.nedt.2011.10.012

Mott, J. (2014). Undergraduate nursing student experiences with faculty bullies. Nurse Educator,

39(3), 143-148. doi:10.1097/NNE.0000000000000038

National Nurse Educator Summit. (2017). 2017 National Nurse Educator Summit. Retrieved
from https://www.conferenceabstracts.com/cfp2/login.asp?EventKey=APNEMTTU
Young, S. (2011). Does nursing school facilitate lateral and horizontal violence?. Tennessee
Nurse, 74(3), 1.Retrieved from http://www.tnaonline.org/tn-nurse.html