Could You Be A Toxic Nurse?

could you be a toxic nurse?
From Toxic Nursing: Managing Bullying, Bad Attitudes, and Total Turmoil (ISBN: 9781937554422) by Cheryl Dellasega & Rebecca L. Volpe Yet another nurse is quitting her position as a staff RN in the SICU. Although Ann has only been at General Hospital for 6 months, she is already fed up with the workload and emotional climate at a job she took to supplement her family income. It doesnt matter how broke we are, Ann tells her manager, Jane, when she hands in her resignation. All the money in the world wouldnt keep me here. This place is crazy! Really? Jane responds. Just yesterday, Sue, another staff RN, complained that Ann, in fact, was erratic and unreliable. Yes, really. That Sue is impossible to work withamong others. What Jane doesnt know is that during the previous evening shift when Ann, Sue, and Jack, the night shift nurse, went through shift report, all three nurses complained about her management style. Jane needs to get her act together. Everyone knows she only got a promotion because her husband is the chief of surgery, Sue had smirked.
toxic nursing
You know it, Ann added. And that fancy know nothing degree Jane finished makes people think she is actually qualified to run one of the most acute units in the hospital! Its not her fault, Jack says. Its this place. No one cares about nurses. Why should Jane? Who in this scenario is the toxic nurse?
Ann, who feels pressure to work and may not be especially committed to a nursing career? Jane, the nurse manager, who isnt effectively managing her fragmented staff? Sue, who seems to involve herself in indiscriminate gossiping and complaining? Jack, who cant be convinced his employer really cares about the little people, i.e., him?
Or could it be that all four nurses use toxic behaviors such as sarcasm, gossip, cynicism, and relational aggression? Scenarios such as these are all too common in the nursing workplace. Often, its not quite clear whether one person or many are creating toxicity. It behooves us to examine our own behavior and ask: Could I be a toxic nurse?
Assessment Quiz: Could You Be a Toxic Nurse?

Answer each question below honestly. Then, calculate your score by adding up the number of Yes, No, and Maybe responses. 1. Im more likely to be irritated than intrigued by my coworkers. Yes No Maybe 2. I believe that management is not likely to be successful in making things better around here. Yes No Maybe
could you be a toxic nurse?
|3
3. When I hear gossip about a coworker, I dont see any harm in repeating it. Yes No Maybe 4. I have a growing loss of basic trust for my unit/institution, so I dont feel any obligation to do more than the minimum. Yes No Maybe 5. I believe that many of the people responsible for making changes around here do not have the skills needed to do their jobs. Yes No Maybe 6. I often find myself in the middle of controversies between other coworkersand I join in because others have done the same to me. Yes No Maybe 7. The only reason I continue to work for this organization is that leaving would require considerable personal sacrifice; another organization may not match the overall benefits I have here. Yes No Maybe 8. Most of my colleaguesincluding myself, reallyare mainly just out for themselves. We are all just trying to keep our heads above water. Yes No Maybe 9. The people responsible for solving problems at my organization dont try hard enough to solve problems, so nurses have to cope through gripe sessions that allow us to vent. I see nothing wrong with complaining when the situation is bad. Yes No Maybe 10. I routinely share negative feelings about my unit and nurse manager to others, including colleagues. Yes No Maybe
toxic nursing
If you answered yes to most of the questions above, you are using behaviors that lead to being a toxic nurse. You might not be aware of how you impact others, but look at those items you agreed with, and explore whether a change is needed. Are you a maybe person? If your answers were mostly maybe, youre at risk for becoming a toxic nurse. Take a hard look at how you contribute to the emotional climate of your unit, and see if your behavior needs to change. If your answers are mostly no, reach out to your colleagues and help them detoxify behaviors that may be poisoning your workplace.
Copyright 2013 by Cheryl Dellasega, PhD, RN, CRNP and Rebecca L. Volpe, PhD, authors, Toxic Nursing: Managing Bullying, Bad Attitudes, & Total Turmoil. All rights reserved.

Could You Be A Toxic Nurse?

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Could You Be A Toxic Nurse?

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Could You Be A Toxic Nurse?

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

could you be a toxic nurse?

Assessment Quiz: Could You Be a Toxic Nurse?

could you be a toxic nurse?

You might also like