Educating our future generation-The role of nurse managers in encouraging civility

In the last three decades, the notion of incivility has been receiving increasing attention in the published literature (Viotti, Converso, Hamblin, Guidetti, Magnavita Rawlins, 2017). Historically, nursing students learned about important nursing values and behaviours through a process that has come to be known as professional socialization. In modern education programmes, while clinical practice remains an integral part of nursing curricula, much of the learning takes place in the classroom setting. Indeed, students can be somewhat detached from local professional socialization mechanisms, considering these in some cases to be an outdated method of power and control. While communication skills are extensively covered within international curricula, simple behavioural issues such as good manners, politeness, manners and attentiveness may not be explicitly addressed but rather an expected antecedent of the mature adult, or implicit within the teaching content. Given the extent to which incivility occurs in clinical practice, we believe that we can no longer be complacent about expectations around civility. As such, nursing students need to be explicitly taught about civility in the context of communication skills and professional codes of conduct (Clark, Danh, Rawlins, 2017; Woodworth, 2016) and need to do more in terms of role modelling these behaviours. Nurse managers also have a key role in the support and development of nursing students, and their leadership is known to influence staff civility (Smith et al., 2018). This role modelling can be very simplistic: “some of the most valuable tools in our “civility toolbox” are engaging in meaningful conversation, actively listening and showing genuine interest in others (Clark et al., 2014:17). Nursing students for example often report not being addressed by name while on clinical practice. The role modelling of good communication skills such as getting to know students by nurse managers could contribute immensely to role modelling civil behaviours. As such, the education that students receive needs a strong focus on role modelling civil behaviours in the clinical area, with students encouraged to feedback to nurse managers if their experiences are negative (Kim, 2018). This is especially important as civil behaviour is not a static entity but rather it is relationship-based skill that is fluidic and changeable (Clark Clark thus, local meetings with nursing students might serve to address matters as they arise. Close working relationships between nurse managers and educators can also ensure that issues being experienced in the clinical area with regard to civility can be addressed appropriately through curriculum and education. Individual cases of student incivility also need to be managed appropriately. Nurse managers have a key role in “establishing a culture where incivility is not dominant and is not tolerated” (Mikaelian & Stanley, 2016:964). They are strategically and appropriately placed to truly educate the next generation of nurses.