Abstract Nurses today are plagued with doing more with less and are forced to work in high-stress situations. These conditions lead to a stressful situation and contribute to lateral violence. While lateral violence has the potential to be present in any setting, it is more prevalent in healthcare. The adage of “nurses eat their young” is still in effect today. With a change in focus from a to-do list with a focus on genuine caring, not only the nurse but the patient as well will benefit. The purpose of this analytical review of research literature was to evaluate the prevalence of lateral violence experienced by nurses, determine ways to identify and eradicate it and educate the medical community on the incidence and eradication of lateral violence. Jean Watson’s Theory of Human Caring was determined to be the most comprehensive approach for guiding this review. For nurses to provide optimal care to patients, nurses must be able to work in a positive team-like atmosphere. Future strategies for improving lateral violence in the hospital environment include more educational workshops and nursing residency programs. Scholars suggested educating nursing students early in their nursing curriculum on lateral/horizontal violence to reduce the effects of lateral/horizontal violence for the future.