Nursing Culture

vanilla bean · Jan 20, 2015

"Wondering" that, were you? Are you sure you weren't assigned the topic for homework? If I've jumped to the wrong conclusion, please forgive me, but either way, why don't you share your thoughts and perhaps others will be along to share theirs.

Atl-Murse · Jan 20, 2015

What do you think?

Gooselady, BSN, RN · Jan 20, 2015

Sounds like homework! I'm all about education, and if you will be a nurse one day this is a good topic to have some convictions about.

Different people will give different ideas -- but beneath all the differences we MEAN the same thing. A healthy working environment is one that meets human beings most basic needs for safety, interpersonal respect and supports our efforts for self and career improvement. Healthy management are savvy 'people' persons who see their position as an opportunity to encourage and uphold high standards of nursing care. They hold the line between their nursing staff and administration, which these days is usually a corporation.

As the old saying goes, sh*t rolls down hill. So a healthy nursing work environment implies a successful and ethical administration. When I interview for jobs, I watch how the manager behaves, what he/she says about her own job, about her staff. If the manager comes across as excited and devoted to her job, the likelihood of there being a good nursing staff beneath her and an ethical administration above him/her is much better. RUN from the interview where the manager is sarcastic or has you feeling vaguely ashamed of yourself. You know her nurses feel the same way or worse.

It's not ALL on management and administration though. We nurses have responsibility for striving for and maintaining high standards of practice, mature co-worker relationships, and mature self-regulation and self preservation. It is a grueling profession and the stress does not bring out the best in us. A 'healthy' nursing environment has people in it committed to constantly reinforcing and maintaining high standards of interpersonal conduct and patient care. It may even have an old curmudgeon or two, but these can be worked around.

Ruby Vee, BSN · Jan 20, 2015

Wondering what you all think what encompasses a healthy work environment and characteristics of an unhealthy one? Also, what are some challenges in work culture we face today.

Sounds like a homework assignment. Why don't you do some research and then come back and tell us what you've learned.

roser13, ASN, RN · Jan 20, 2015

Wondering what you all think what encompasses a healthy work environment and characteristics of an unhealthy one? Also, what are some challenges in work culture we face today.

One of the challenges that we face today is nursing students who hope the Internet will do their homework for them. They don't learn how to properly research issues or develop their critical thinking skills.

Welcome to the forum! I see you just joined today. I hope you're not one of those â¬†ï¸ students and will stick around and learn some things.

arborguy · Jan 20, 2015

I am not in school at the moment. This was a general discussion. I read an article last week discussing challenges in our workforce as we have four currently practicing (baby boomers, gen x, millennials and veterans.) Your assumptions were incorrect.

klone, MSN, RN · Jan 20, 2015

I am not in school at the moment. This was a general discussion. I read an article last week discussing challenges in our workforce as we have four currently practicing (baby boomers, gen x, millennials and veterans.) Your assumptions were incorrect.

What was the article? Which magazine? I'd love to read it.

I'd still be interested in hearing YOUR thoughts. Since the article sparked such an interest with you to the point where you needed to discuss it with other nurses, so you registered a new username and posted about it here as your very first post, I imagine you have quite a few thoughts on the subject!

icuRNmaggie, BSN, RN · Jan 20, 2015

AACN has an initiative about healthy work environments that will help you with this assignment

toomuchbaloney · Jan 20, 2015

I am not in school at the moment. This was a general discussion. I read an article last week discussing challenges in our workforce as we have four currently practicing (baby boomers, gen x, millennials and veterans.) Your assumptions were incorrect.

Not falling for that one without evidence.

arborguy · Jan 20, 2015

Then don't respond. Your responses alone have highlighted a cultural problem.

klone, MSN, RN · Jan 20, 2015

Then don't respond. Your responses alone have highlighted a cultural problem.

I think the cultural problem here is many students of the internet era seem to lack resources other than social media for difficult problems or situations for which they're unsure of the answer.