Profanity in the workplace

[Emergent, RN]

In the ER, F bombs are not uncommon. How much is too much?

[CalicoKitty, BSN, MSN, RN]

I dunno. I think about the pain scale. Between one and ten. I just assume there's no way its a 10 because it can always get worse..

Too much? Yelling that you hope the (very) pregnant employee has a miscarriage?

In depth descriptions of what one they would like to use their anatomy to perform on your anatomy?

The F-bombs accompanied by descriptions of who they will injure/kill when the cuffs come off..

[Sour Lemon]

CalicoKitty said:

I dunno. I think about the pain scale. Between one and ten. I just assume there's no way its a 10 because it can always get worse..

Too much? Yelling that you hope the (very) pregnant employee has a miscarriage?

In depth descriptions of what one they would like to use their anatomy to perform on your anatomy?

The F-bombs accompanied by descriptions of who they will injure/kill when the cuffs come off..

This is all very amusing to me, because I assumed she meant staff. My current co-workers are very "clean-spoken". It was a huge adjustment for me.

[KelRN215, BSN, RN]

From patients or staff?

[ICU-BSN]

Sour Lemon me too! My unit tends to be a bit crass...but that's trauma for you. We are not the most clean spoken bunch in the building for sure!

[JBudd, MSN]

I tend to use alternative expressions, when describing what I've been called (copulating Caucasian female canine, with an Oedipus Rex complex); one time when I repeated the actual words used at me, my director and clinical supervisor were all "don't ever do that again! from you it is just so wrong!".

Our staff doesn't tend to be all that foul mouthed, it was worse in the past though.

If a patient is really going off, I tell them to knock it off, I am using respectful language & I expect them to be just as courteous. ((Then we sedate, LOL))

[Been there,done that, ASN, RN]

Who is using them, staff, patients or doctors?

[NurseCard, ADN]

I'll admit, when I get very upset, I start dropping the "F" bomb almost

uncontrollably. So I try not to get very upset. Especially at work.

I am often very amused at my coworker, who is Scottish. I swear... it

is SOMETHING about her accent... or about the way she talks... she says

the F word about twenty times a night and you barely notice it.

[NightNerd, MSN, RN]

From patients, most of it is too much, tbh. If they're cursing, there's a good chance they're directing it at staff and they're not playing around. The are ways to share your frustrations appropriately when you want hospital staff to intervene; save the profanity for when you vent to your family and friends later.

From staff, as long as we're not using it in front of the patients and not directing it at each other, I don't see the problem. I guess it depends on the culture of the unit, but if it was a problem where I worked, I probably wouldn't be employed there anymore, lol.

[K+MgSO4, BSN]

My level of F bombs at work dropped exponentially when my problem employee resigned....amazing correlation

[Jedrnurse, BSN, RN]

Sour Lemon said:

This is all very amusing to me, because I assumed she meant staff. My current co-workers are very "clean-spoken". It was a huge adjustment for me.

Yeah, the idea that the OP might be referring to patients never crossed my mind.

OP: Do your co-workers at least use the profanity creatively...?

[RNperdiem, RN]

Not much profanity heard in my department. I prefer it that way.

My opinion is that profanity is only to be used when no other word will suffice. It keeps the words powerful.

If used sparingly and appropriately, I have no problem.