Faculty incivility: lived experiences of nursing graduates in the United Arab Emirates

Abstract

Aim: This study explored the lived experiences of baccalaureate nursing graduates with faculty incivility in nursing education in the United Arab Emirates. Background: Despite the consistent results regarding the prevalence of incivility in nursing education worldwide, less focus has been placed on faculty incivility and little is known about this phenomenon in the Arab world. Introduction: Incivility in nursing education is correlated with a negative learning–teaching environment contributing to faculty and students’ attrition. Incivility can be transferred to clinical settings interfering with safe clinical practice. Methods: Applying the descriptive phenomenological approach and guided by Clark’s conceptual model for fostering civility in nursing education, the experiences of nine nursing graduates with faculty incivility were examined through semi-structured face-to-face interviews. Data were analysed following Colaizzi’s seven-step process. Findings: Data analysis yielded six major themes: an emotionally traumatic experience, unengaged faculty, decreased motivation to learn, displaying favouritism, displaying culturally and sexually inappropriate behaviour, and coping behaviours. Discussion: Faculty incivility results in tribulations and sabotages open and constructive communication between students and faculty. Faculty poor teaching skills, lack of preparation and teaching competence were also considered as acts of incivility towards students. Conclusion: The findings illuminated the faculty incivility phenomenon in nursing education from the informants’ perspective which may assist in generating strategies to promote a positive learning environment as endorsed by the local nursing and midwifery council. Implications for nursing education and policy: In addition to adopting a civility policy, incorporating civility in the curriculum and crafting a procedure to report faculty incivility anonymously, clear educational qualifications that align with the World Health Organization requirements for nurse educators must be enacted by the local regulatory bodies. © 2019 International Council of Nurses