How can a profession with amazing potential for human connection fall short and fail to offer compassionate care? And why do nurses too often go in the other direction—and do harm?

Registered Nurse Kathleen Bartholomew dissects the hierarchical culture within the nursing profession, and examines why nurses who are devalued and shamed are much more likely to make mistakes and relay critical patient information to a physician.

Kathleen Bartholomew, RN, MN, has been a national speaker for the past fourteen years. She was nominated in 2010 by Health Leaders Media as one of the top 20 people in the U. S. changing the culture of healthcare — specifically for calling attention to the dangerous impact on patient care of disruptive behavior by medical professionals, as well as the critical need for better physician-nurse communication.

Kathleen is the author of five books and is best known for her pioneering work, “Ending Nurse to Nurse Hostility” (2006), which offered the first comprehensive and compassionate look at the etiology and impact of horizontal violence on both patients and nurses. As a health care culture expert, Kathleen now speaks about patient safety, communication, leadership and power to hospital boards, the military, senior leadership, and front line staff.

This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at ted.com/tedx