Cursing on the job

Specialties Emergency

Published

Alright so maybe this is a sign of burnout but most of us (not all of us) in my ED curse (sometimes loudly) while on the job. Usually its related to frustration. We were so incredibly busy yesterday and all of us were getting our butts handed to us. The call light was binging and the usually missing clerk was not there to answer it so I stormed over, snatched up the phone, and cheerfully (fake cheerfulness of course) yelled "Hi! Can I help you!!!?!?!?!" It was a "problem" patient who had their tv on full blast so I of course couldn't hear anything they were saying so I yelled "I CAN'T HEAR YOU OVER THE TELEVISION..." and slammed the phone down. Then I proceeded to curse. Is this normal? I feel like I have anger management problems. I'm never rude to the patient's face, but I do this passive aggressive stuff and I'm not sure that it's healthy. It's also dangerous because it only takes once to do it in front of the wrong person and you're outta there. Anyone else have issues like this???

Specializes in Med-Surg, LTC, Psych, Addictions..
I've turned into quite the potty mouth since moving to the ER!

To each is own. But for me personally, I think its completely unprofessional and shows disrespect for yourself and those around you. I would never cuss at work. In 9 years of working I've been extremely stressed, but I haven't let loose with vulgarity.

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Specializes in Emergency Room, Trauma ICU.
I've turned into quite the potty mouth since moving to the ER!

To each is own. But for me personally, I think its completely unprofessional and shows disrespect for yourself and those around you. I would never cuss at work. In 9 years of working I've been extremely stressed, but I haven't let loose with vulgarity.

Congrats?? I imagine you're just a peach to work with, with that attitude.

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Specializes in Family practice, emergency.

I had to stop swearing (I used to do it a LOT) when I started teaching kindergarten in my former life before nursing... It definitely made me a calmer person all around and I would recommend to use any technique to stop... it always makes me feel worse after swearing. As for the anger management, it helps to have an outlet that can understand your frustration, like a nurse at another hospital or old faculty member from school. Your partner can never understand the details and your co-workers aren't always a sympathetic listener.

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Specializes in ICU.

You can always learn to curse in a new language. This might serve to relieve stress & is less likely to cause problems at work, unless your coworkers happen to speak Russian or Japanese or...;)

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Specializes in PICU, NICU, L&D, Public Health, Hospice.

I try to practice restraint...

as a born again Christian my language should glofify God...I too often fall quite a bit short of that.

I do recommend balance. Those things that we practice become habit. I try to practice restraint and civility the vast majority of the time while in the office.

However, with my ED, ICU, Critical Care Transport background; raised in the home of a trucking industry executive and Navy vet has blessed me with a very colorful vocabulary. Combine that with a wicked gallows humor and my office has potential for some pretty interesting dialog.

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Specializes in Med-Surg.

I do normally have quite the potty mouth. I have tried really hard to tone it down, especially with a toddler who is just now starting to try to speak and repeat everything we say.

I also can't let loose at work, even if sometimes I REALLY want to. Our boss is pretty religious and has been known to fire staff for anything remotely swear-like. I now use 'poop' and 'shoot' a lot :p

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I've turned into quite the potty mouth since moving to the ER! I think there's a certain type of person who gravitates towards the ER and the potty mouth usually goes hand in hand with that. At least on night shift!!

True story! My parents are so proud of me for being an ER nurse, but truly hate that I curse like a sailor now.!

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I've had a potty-mouth since I was in the 4th grade (I didn't have much of an upbringing). I've learned to turn it off in situations where it is inappropriate, such as in front of patients. I've always been a voracious reader, so it never was a lack of vocabulary that spurred my potty mouth on. I just feel strongly about things sometimes, and I want to strongly express those feelings.

My favorite moments are when I'm in a patient's room and stub my toe, or bang my head or something, and "son of a..." comes out before I can stop it. The best part is when the patient laughs and finishes the sentence for me because they know I can't!

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Specializes in Float Pool-Med-Surg, Telemetry, IMCU.

I had a patient start screaming like someone was killing her the other day. I immediately dropped the million things I was doing to run to her room, the rest of the nurses on the unit on my heels. We get to the room and the patient is getting infuriated watching Maury Povich and screaming "He just said he isn't the baby's dad!!!! Those paternity tests don't lie!!!" Hilarious.

In the post-adreneline rush phase after leaving the patient's room I accidentally blurted out to my co-worker "You've got to be [blanking] ********* me!" And I try very hard NOT to swear at work but sometimes it just slips out....

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My take on the situation... Keep swear words powerful by not overusing them.

If you are going to say "Oh ****!" the situation had better be serious enough to warrant the language.

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Specializes in LTC, assisted living, med-surg, psych.

In my world, "oh ****!" is the everyday word for everything from getting a paper cut to finding a resident on the floor. There's a stronger one we use for call-ins 15 minutes prior to a shift and discovering a med error.....:confused:

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This isn't funny but... one morning a WWII vet with Navy tattoos told the 7-3 nurse in ICU the night nurses were "saucy".... we literally made an old sailor blush! It seems to be once somebody starts referring to V Tach as "*****" and asystole as "****" that becomes the new name for "Call a Code". It helps tremendously to turn the volume down somehow. Our unit got so loud, you could hardly hear the IV machines beeping, monitors, telephones, patient buzzers. The foul mouth comes from sensory overload. I have read about units starting quiet zone policies to keep the noise down.

I re-read your post. The language in the ER of every place I have worked could melt the paint off the walls. If you pray, say a Hail Mary to yourself every time you curse, or put a quarter in a jar every time you curse, if you want to cut down on your habit.

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