An Exploration of Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists’ Experiences with Workplace Incivility: Prevalence and Impact on Job Satisfaction

Abstract

Workplace incivility is a type of antisocial behavior found in employment environments. Research suggests that employees targeted by the behaviors characterized as “incivility” experience adverse physical and psychological health, decreased creativity, cognitive distraction, and greater occupational stress and dissatisfaction. This national study examines the extent of workplace incivility among Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) and the impact it has on job satisfaction.

An online survey completed by 299 CRNAs found that 89.8% reported experiencing or witnessing workplace incivility at least yearly. Only 10.2% reported never experiencing or witnessing incivility. Over 50% of CRNA responses reflect experiencing or witnessing incivility at least once a week, and over a third of the respondents employed at a teaching facility reported experiencing or witnessing incivility at least once a day. CRNA respondents working in an anesthesia care team (ACT) model were significantly more likely to experience incivility. Survey respondents reported a perception that surgeons and physician anesthesiologists were most likely to be instigators of workplace incivility. Female respondents were significantly more likely than their male counterparts to report that their job dissatisfaction was associated with workplace incivility “to a very high degree”. Interestingly, respondents in the 50-59 age group were most likely to report that a very high degree that job dissatisfaction was due to incivility, while those with 16-20 years of experience were the most likely say that their job dissatisfaction was due to workplace incivility. Finally, CRNAs who planned to seek a new place of employment were more likely than others to rate their job dissatisfaction due to incivility to a high or very high degree. This national study suggests that incivility is experienced regularly by CRNAs and that it negatively impacts job satisfaction. Based on research conducted in the fields of nursing and business, workplace incivility can have significant impacts on productivity, employee retention, overhead costs, and physical and mental health. Further investigation will be important to quantify the impact of incivility on CRNAs, healthcare organizations, and the quality of patient care.

Key Words: workplace incivility, job satisfaction, CRNA