It’s time to protect nursing students from workplace violence

Dear Editor,

We have carefully considered the article ‘I got your back! Social support against workplace violence for health professionals’ [1] and greatly value the important issue it addresses—medical workplace violence (WPV). As described in this article [1], social support plays a crucial role in reducing stress and mitigating WPV experienced by nurses. Notably, WPV not only affects certified nurses but also impacts the professional confidence of nursing students [2]. Previous research has indicated that nursing students are particularly susceptible to incidents of WPV due to unique risk factors such as frequent rotation in different clinical departments, young age, lack of experience, inadequate knowledge, and their position within the healthcare system [3]. These negative experiences can influence their perception and attitude towards the nursing profession, potentially hindering their engagement in nursing careers. However, a single strategy alone is insufficient to address WPV against nurses. Protecting our nursing students in different ways can better increase their career confidence.

Firstly, the management of the school should develop WPV training strategies to enhance the awareness of nursing educators regarding WPV. Simultaneously, these strategies should assist them in leading by example and refraining from any form of WPV towards superiors, colleagues, and nursing students. Secondly, the school should improve teaching methods, such as introducing new equipment technology and simulation laboratories, to create a realistic experience for nursing students and enhance their ability to respond to WPV [4]. Thirdly, collaboration between educational institutions and healthcare organizations is crucial. Clinical internships should prioritize the safety and well-being of nursing students by ensuring adequate supervision and guidance from experienced practitioners. Fourthly, installing surveillance cameras, emergency buttons, and alarm systems can provide a sense of security and act as deterrents for potential offenders [5]. Fifthly, it is important to encourage and require nursing students to report all instances of WPV they experience, including instances of WPV perpetrated by other nurses, and allow for anonymous reporting if necessary. This will help address the underreporting of WPV incidents that is pervasive in the nursing profession [2]. Finally, nursing researchers should develop and utilize standardized tools to assess the effectiveness of WPV training programs for nursing students and provide timely feedback on those measures. In short, healthcare institutions, educational organizations, policymakers, and stakeholders must collaborate to eradicate WPV and create a culture of safety within the nursing profession.

Authors’ contributions

T.C. conceived and wrote the first draft, which was critically revised by X.W. and Y.X. All authors approved the final version of the manuscript. T.C. and Y.X. contributed equally to this paper. Y.X. is responsible for the overall content as guarantor.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Funding

The authors received no grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.

Data availability statement

No new data were generated or analysed in support of this research.

References

Author notes