Increase in violence against aged care nurses
Flinders University research shows a lack of action to curb workplace violence, while RMIT University researchers say a better understanding of anti-violence HR practices across the sector could be the answer.
Incidents of workplace violence for nurses are increasing, according to two recent studies from the Caring Futures Institute and another from RMIT University. Both have highlighted the increasing incidences of workplace violence and aggression as leading to long-term consequences for nursing students, their supervisors, and the profession at large.
The two studies led by Caring Futures Institute researcher Dr Hila Dafny gathering the perspectives and perceptions of clinical facilitators – which were published in the Journal of Professional Nursing and Nursing Open respectively – both showed that nursing students who do their first clinical placements in aged care are reporting serious instances of workplace violence and very little opportunity to seek support.
“Workplace violence, which can include verbal abuse, physical aggression, and intimidation from patients and other staff, is a growing concern in healthcare, with nursing students particularly vulnerable,” said Dr Dafny.
“Our findings, drawn from interviews with clinical facilitators in South Australia – those that train and supervise nursing students – reveal witnessing or experiencing this violence has an ongoing impact on nursing students’ mental health, career prospects, and overall wellbeing.
“It also impacts the supervisors themselves, with some questioning their own career choices as they feel powerless to stop it.”
Dr Dafny told Australian Ageing Agenda that the research revealed a troubling lack of power students had to escalate their concerns while on clinical placement, with the short-term nature of the placement meaning they are unfamiliar with the human resource processes and protocols.
“We really need to see that there is a collaboration between the universities and the healthcare avenues in order to reduce or minimise workplace violence. Violence should not affect nurses and other students and their mental health,” Dr Dafny told AAA.
Dr Dafny also said she was greatly concerned by their discovery that the rates of reported workplace violence is actually increasing.
“We need to shift the framing that workplace violence is an inevitability of working in the health profession,” said Dr Dafny, a senior lecturer in nursing and researcher at Flinders University.
“It’s time to prioritise the safety and mental health of nursing students and their facilitators. This includes clear anti-violence policies, comprehensive training, and a cultural shift that no longer normalises violence in the workplace.”
HR missing from aged care homes
The nursing students and supervisors in South Australia are not the only ones who have reported incidents of workplace violence, with Victoria-based researchers RMIT University recording examples of intense, physical violence occurring, and the feeling that violence at work is “chronic” in their paper highlighting the perspectives of aged care managers and employees published in Human Resource Management.
Co-author Dr Jillian Cavanagh told AAA the research team was surprised by the resilience of nurses and personal care assistants who took part in the study and their dedication to aged care residents. They were also shocked to discover the majority of HR departments are not present, and most are external to aged care facilities.
“These workers experience violence and aggression on a daily basis, often with little to no management or HR support, but they support each other and continue to turn up to work in aged care facilities. Many are stressed and suffer with burnout but they managed to perform an amazing job,” she said.
“It was alarming to hear that HR rarely engages with managers or workers unless there are new appointments, a need for mandatory reporting or some kind of disciplinary action,” said Dr Cavanagh, an associate professor in the School of Management at RMIT University.
Dr Cavanagh said every worker or potential nursing candidate should be provided with adequate orientation and training around dealing with workplace violence and aggression, but instead incidents of workplace violence going unreported because nurses and PCAs believe they’re wasting their time.
“Every incident of workplace violence should be reported and there should be interventions readily available to provide workers with counselling and training,” she told AAA.
“There’s evidence in the literature and anecdotally that there’s an overall increase in workplace violence and aggression in aged care facilities.
“To prevent an increase in workplace violence and aggression in aged care facilities there has to be more [human resrouce management] involvement, increased government funding, policies and procedures, a better balance in staff-to-client ratios, management listening to nurses and PCA concerns, counselling, regular training and the resources to support these workers to perform the job well.”
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