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could you be a

toxic nurse?

From Toxic Nursing: Managing Bullying, Bad Attitudes, andTotal Turmoil(ISBN: 9781937554422)

by Cheryl Dellasega & Rebecca L. Volpe

Yet another nurse is quitting her position as a sta RN in theSICU. Although Ann has only been at General Hospital or 6months, she is already ed up with the workload and emotionalclimate at a job she took to supplement her amily income.

It doesnt matter how broke we are, Ann tells her man-ager, Jane, when she hands in her resignation. All the money inthe world wouldnt keep me here. Tis place is crazy!

Really? Jane responds. Just yesterday, Sue, another staRN, complained that Ann, in act, was erratic and unreliable.

Yes, really. Tat Sue is impossible to work withamongothers.

What Jane doesnt know is that during the previous eve-ning shit when Ann, Sue, and Jack, the night shit nurse, went

through shit report, all three nurses complained about hermanagement style.

Jane needs to get her act together. Everyone knows sheonly got a promotion because her husband is the chie o sur-gery, Sue had smirked.

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You know it, Ann added. And that ancy know nothingdegree Jane fnished makes people think she is actually qualifed

to run one o the most acute units in the hospital!Its not her ault, Jack says. Its this place. No one cares

about nurses. Why should Jane?

Who in this scenario is the toxic nurse?

Ann, who eels pressure to work and may not beespecially committed to a nursing career?

Jane, the nurse manager, who isnt eectively man-aging her ragmented sta?

Sue, who seems to involve hersel in indiscriminategossiping and complaining?

Jack, who cant be convinced his employer reallycares about the little people, i.e., him?

Or could it be that all our nurses use toxic behaviors suchas sarcasm, gossip, cynicism, and relational aggression?

Scenarios such as these are all too common in the nursingworkplace. Oten, its not quite clear whether one person ormany are creating toxicity. It behooves us to examine our ownbehavior and ask: Could I be a toxic nurse?

Assessment Quiz:Could You Be a Toxic Nurse?

Answer each question below honestly. Ten, calculate yourscore by adding up the number o Yes, No, and Mayberesponses.

1. Im more likely to be irritated than intrigued by mycoworkers.

Yes No Maybe

2. I believe that management is not likely to be success-ul in making things better around here.

Yes No Maybe

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3. When I hear gossip about a coworker, I dont see anyharm in repeating it.

Yes No Maybe

4. I have a growing loss o basic trust or my unit/institu-tion, so I dont eel any obligation to do more than theminimum.

Yes No Maybe

5. I believe that many o the people responsible or mak-

ing changes around here do not have the skills neededto do their jobs.

Yes No Maybe

6. I oten fnd mysel in the middle o controversies be-tween other coworkersand I join in because othershave done the same to me.

Yes No Maybe

7. Te only reason I continue to work or this organiza-tion is that leaving would require considerable per-sonal sacrifce; another organization may not matchthe overall benefts I have here.

Yes No Maybe

8. Most o my colleaguesincluding mysel, reallyaremainly just out or themselves. We are all just tryingto keep our heads above water.

Yes No Maybe

9. Te people responsible or solving problems at myorganization dont try hard enough to solve problems,so nurses have to cope through gripe sessions thatallow us to vent. I see nothing wrong with complain-ing when the situation is bad.

Yes No Maybe

10. I routinely share negative eelings about my unit andnurse manager to others, including colleagues.

Yes No Maybe

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I you answered yes to most o the questions above, youare using behaviors that lead to being a toxic nurse. You might

not be aware o how you impact others, but look at those itemsyou agreed with, and explore whether a change is needed.

Are you a maybe person? I your answers were mostlymaybe, youre at risk or becoming a toxic nurse. ake a hardlook at how you contribute to the emotional climate o yourunit, and see i your behavior needs to change.

I your answers are mostly no, reach out to your col-

leagues and help them detoxiy behaviors that may be poison-ing your workplace.

Copyright 2013 by Cheryl Dellasega, PhD, RN, CRNP andRebecca L. Volpe, PhD, authors, Toxic Nursing: Managing Bullying,Bad Attitudes, &Total Turmoil. All rights reserved.