Incivility in clinical practice learning environments was the focus of a descriptive quantitative study published by co-principal investigator Peggy Hancock, a nurse educator at Western Regional School of Nursing.

Along with principal investigator Christine MacDonald of the University of Ottawa, Ms. Hancock and associates Daphne Kennedy, Sandra MacDonald, Kathy Watkins and Daisy Baldwin examined the impacts of incivility in nursing learning environments.

"Incivility within nursing is professionally unacceptable," said Ms. Hancock. "Little research exists regarding student nurses' experiences with incivility from healthcare professionals and others within the clinical environment and particularly within a Canadian context."

The aim of the study was to describe the incidence and perceptions of incivility experienced by undergraduate nursing students from healthcare professionals and others within clinical practice. The study was carried out at an Eastern Canadian university.

Of the 650 undergraduate nursing students who were invited to participate, 260 surveys were fully completed. Of these, 70% of respondents indicated experiencing incivility, mostly in acute care settings. Registered nurses and licensed practical nurses were the major offenders. Discourteous gestures and condescending remarks were the most frequently experienced uncivil acts, resulting in feelings of high anxiety and inadequacy. Participants coped by avoiding communication with the perpetrator. Incivility was rarely reported because of a belief it would be fruitless to do so, lack of awareness of policies and fear of retaliation.

The research team concluded that nursing students experience incivility frequently in clinical practice with serious consequences. Recommendations arising from this study encourage educators and healthcare leaders to collaborate to review, implement and evaluate curricula, policies and processes to address incivility.

Members of the team gave four oral presentations on their results and recommendations in 2021:

The project received funding from the Associate Vice President (Grenfell) Research Fund, Memorial's Undergraduate Career Experience Program, Graduate Student Work Experience Program and the Seed, Bridge and Multidisciplinary Fund, Memorial University.