For us or against us? Perceptions of faculty bullying of students during undergraduate nursing education clinical experiences

The purpose of this review is to determine what we currently know about faculty bullying of nursing students during undergraduate clinical experiences. The review included 31 peer-reviewed articles and dissertations investigating faculty bullying of nursing students and those factors which can influence the phenomenon. A significant finding of this review is that faculty bullying of students arises out of complex contextual influences involving the practice setting, as well as perceptions and coping strategies of both faculty members and students. This belies the current understanding of bullying within nursing education as intentional, and arising from the personal pathologies of the teacher or student. This has implications for clinical faculty members as well as Schools of Nursing. As well, it highlights future directions for research, including interventions to decrease faculty bullying of students.