Young nurses driven from profession by bullying

The Association of Registered Nurses of P.E.I. is holding a conference Friday to deal with bullying in the workplace.

There are concerns younger nurses are quitting jobs and even leaving the profession because of lack of support from older nurses.

Professor Vickie Foley of the University of Prince Edward Island's nursing school will be a keynote speaker at Fostering Healthier Workplaces: Stop the Bullying. Foley told CBC News generational differences, such as views on work ethic, are causing some younger nurses to leave.

"More and more research is showing that remarkably high numbers of nurses leave the workplace within the first year of clinical practice," said Foley.

"That transition to the workplace … it's becoming even more difficult for young nurses."

An American survey in 2006 found as many as 60 per cent of registered nurses left their first job within a year because of unhealthy work environments.

Foley said the nursing school is trying to deal with the problem by including conflict resolution training in its curriculum.