Professional Experience Placement

Incivility is disruptive behaviour that occurs in in higher education learning environments. This study by Ibrahim and Qalawa (2016) used a structured three-part questionnaire to elicit perceptions and factors about incivility. The authors describe the phenomenon where there has been an increase in latecomers, sleepers, mobile device addicts or discourteous behaviour by students. This disruptive behaviour can be serious or annoying and categorisation is subjective. Incivility in healthcare environments can lead to unsafe working conditions, poor patient care and increased medical costs. Incivility and bullying are complex problems that has significant implications for nurses, patients and healthcare organisations. This study aimed to determine students’ uncivil behaviour as perceived by students and faculty staff; investigate factors affecting student nurses’ incivility as perceived by nursing students and faculty staff; and identifying the relationship between students uncivil behaviour and facts in the occurrence of uncivil behaviour.

The findings included more than half (55.9%) of the students reporting they behaved inappropriately and 47.8% of them reported aggressive behaviour. Less than two-thirds (60.2%) reported irresponsible behaviours. However, the majority of students (64.0%)  and faculty (93.9%)  members agreed that these behaviours occurred at a low level. The authors discuss the correlation between factors affecting students’ incivility and its occurrence  as perceived by students and faculty staff. The authors discuss the findings in relation to students becoming the next generation of practitioners who need to follow ethical principles and behave in a respectful manner if they are to become practising nurses.

Academic leaders, nurse educators and clinical supervisors  need be attentive to their own behaviour as role models.  Additionally, the findings of this study indicate that faculty policies on uncivil behaviours need to be activated. The authors suggest that Faculty members are in a unique position to enact meaningful change by implementing rules and policies that will motivate students to behave in a responsible and appropriate manner. Positive Faculty member-student relationships promote empowering learning environments. Staff also need to be trained to deal with uncivil, difficult and bullying students.

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