Toxic Nurse Managers and how to deal...

Nurses Safety

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OK, all of you seasoned nurses out there.

For those of us who are relatively new to nursing, how do you deal with the toxic manager? You know the type -- the one who would not spit on you if you were on fire. :angryfire

How do you deal with the dead-weight, won't get off his orifice, useless assitant nurse manager who relies on his pretty-boy looks and empty, completely useless, completely insincere charm to make things go his way?

Haven't we all faced them at one time or another? What's a new nurse to do?(even a relatively new nurse, like me, who's been 'out there' for 10 months now) :uhoh21:

Specializes in Rehab, Med Surg, Home Care.

The trouble with quitting is you can't always tell if what you're getting into is going to turn out any better.

I am very particular who I work for these days. Healthcare troday can be very cutthroat and there are frustrated people everywhere spewing venom on coworkers. When a vindictive, powerhungry nurse gets a management position: look out. My radar is on high to these types and I run like the wind from them, personally.

I agree with Jody Foster who said "Life is too short to be around unpleasant people" ... and this is specially true when they're the boss.

I have dealt the past few years with a whole administration like this. The way I deal is to do my shift, do my best, enjoy what I do, and go home and put it behind me. People like this are not worth it. For whatever reasons, they got where they are. They will not change. My thought is that they will somehow sometime leave, and go onto another place. I am just waiting it out. You can do the same, or move on. Good lucK !

Thank you, Imenid. Being a pt advocate often gets nurses labled as "trouble makers" and gets us told we're "not team players."

It sure makes us unpopular, sometimes, when we stand up for our pts.

LOL. I shouldn't because I just got pooped on but I guess I need to laugh. Tonight, at a special meeting convened just to ream little ol me, with my manager and her manager and even some charge nurses, I was told I need to learn to play the nurse-doctor game. I kid you not. I'm a nurse with 15 years experiance! I know the nurse-doctor game inside and out. I'm just not willing to play anymore. It's abusive. I was verbally abused by a doctor for refusing to implement an order when the patient asked me to wait until her husband arrived. The doctor got angry when I explained to him that I wouldn't implement the order and in fact couldn't because it was assault. He reported me to my manager who reamed me. I wouldn't have taken it further but frankly, I'm tired of not being supported and I'm tired of the physicians thinking I'm their handmaiden. I took it to our ethics board. They are investigating it so I'm not fire-able (something about whistleblowers statute, I believe) but that doesn't stop my managers from continuing the abuse. I'm being encouraged to quit, since I'm obviously not happy. I was happy until this doctor pulled his crap. I like the night shift group I work with. Hate my manager.

Quit, no need to work for a bad manager, there is a shortage. Nothing get's the higher ups attention like rapid turn over.

Alas, that won't work here because every hospital in Austin has the same sort of BS. I'm moving to the great Northwest and it isn't soon enough. Goodbye to the South. Yeehaw.

I not only work the evening shift, I only work weekends. I never see managers. What drives me crazy though is the nurses with the most bubbliest, most unprofessional personality is always the one that moves the farthest ahead. You know the ones, talks to the managers about their sex lives, jokes with residents in what I consider an unprofessional manner, sits at the nurses station talking on the phone instead of helping CNAs when their swamped. They are the ones who are loved by all (except me). I just don't understand it. It is not enough to look professional, act professional, and take excellent care of the residents and staff on your team. And what's with the unprofessionalism of management. I've been in staff meetings where the managers used more profanity than the company commanders I had in boot camp :angryfire .

Specializes in ER.

tavalon, that sounds like a no-brainer to me. If she said no, you can't do it, and if the doc wants it done bad enough he can come in himself. Even then you would be acting as a good nurse and employee if you stood between him and the patient to prevent him from assaulting her.

They must be crazy to need an ethics committee to figure that one out. Tell them to ask a local cop if you could've been arrested, pulled off your shift and then been unavailable to do all the OTHER treatments on the floor. Their choice.

These toxic managers give you a look that resembles "Barbie" when you dare give them a problem to handle or a suggestion that is unwanted. You know the look I am talking about, eyes widen then narrow up, head cocks to one side, and hair is flipped a little. You could be sure this look would lead to some sort of disicipline action, nothing serious, manager just had to let you know where and who held the power. I have certain gestures, looks, and comments committed to memory, when I see or hear them, I run asap to something else.

I really want to thank Imenid 37 and Mtnmom for their posts. You nailed the most toxic manager I ever worked for and her group. I can laugh now but back then I was miserable. Thanks for giving good insight to the nursing unit as it really is.

:balloons: Have seen this, MANY times over.

Check to see if the facility has a compliance line where you can report issues/concerns anonymously so you aren't targeted. Learn more about working with difficult people by checking out these websites: http://www.nurseadvocate.org/nurseabuse.html

http://mobbing-usa.com

http://www.bullybusters.org

Best Wishes.

OK, all of you seasoned nurses out there.

For those of us who are relatively new to nursing, how do you deal with the toxic manager? You know the type -- the one who would not spit on you if you were on fire. :angryfire

How do you deal with the dead-weight, won't get off his orifice, useless assitant nurse manager who relies on his pretty-boy looks and empty, completely useless, completely insincere charm to make things go his way?

Haven't we all faced them at one time or another? What's a new nurse to do?(even a relatively new nurse, like me, who's been 'out there' for 10 months now) :uhoh21:

The trouble with quitting is you can't always tell if what you're getting into is going to turn out any better.

Well said. I worked in 1 rehab center and it was getting really bad, therefore after finding another place I thought "I need to quit, it can't be any worse than this right now" and guess what? It was a lot worse. So it is really risky to quit and get into something different, from 1 crap getting into a bigger crap. It looks bad on your resume to be job hopping all the time. I dont know what the advice can be at this point.

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