Profanity in the workplace

[Emergent]

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

[CCU BSN RN]

When my patient is about to code, my other patient is on multiple vasoactives that need titrating, and the code beeper goes off for the floors I'm supposed to be covering...It's F-bomb city. But it's just an isolated string of F-bombs, or 'eff this situation'. I'm not cursing my colleagues, the patients, the families....I'm cursing the situation, and if the situation weren't effed up, I'd be totally clean-mouthed. But if you give me piss poor staffing and a dangerous patient assignment, and I need to say a few words you don't like for catharsis...you're just going to have to deal.

[djh123]

Partly because I've been through a great deal in the past 15+ years, I cuss more than I used to, but I don't do it a huge amount, and not much at work. But there are a few CNA's at work that cuss like Marines. And a LPN - whom I like and respect - and I were working on getting an IV in a quite elderly patient a while back, and she (the LPN) was cussing quite a bit in a low voice because she was having difficulty with it. A little voice in my head was saying '____, don't do that - she's going to get mad', and right after that, the patient angrily said she didn't appreciate that in front of her. My co-worker stopped doing it, but she did it again in front of another patient.

[Farawyn]

No one who works there should be saying it. If I do, I apologize and move on. We are human, but we are also professionals.

[wondern, ASN]

Profanity sucks in the workplace

[Neats, BSN]

There is a great article that is a good short read from the BBC Why do people swear? - BBC News

"The emotional release from swearing has been measured in a variety of ways. It turns out that swearing helps mitigate pain. It is easier to keep an arm in ice-cold-water for longer if you are simultaneously effing and blinding. And those who speak more than one language, report that swearing in their first language is more satisfying, carrying, as it does, a bigger emotional punch.

Catharsis aside, swearing can boast other benefits. The claim has been made that swearing is bonding: a few blue words, uttered in a good-natured way, indicates and encourages intimacy. A very recent study suggests that people who swear are perceived as more trustworthy than those who are less potty-mouthed."

The only time swearing has really bothered me is coming form my kids mouth (they are military) they can swear but alas so can I and my husband because we all are military. I did not learn this form the military but it is more accepted so maybe we use it more.

[garnet83]

Who cares? It's apart of the atmosphere. You work in healthcare, tensions, anger and frustration from staff, patients and their families is bound to happen. It just comes with the territory in my opinion.

I guess this would bother a much older or reserved crowd more. I can't see many my age being worried about people cursing when they're busy trying to save lives and have a million other pertinent, pressing matters to attend to.

[jobellestarr]

Well, I'm one of the older crowd and we all say it too. Our jobs are hard enough. Good grief and who cares.

[GBC_Student, BSN, RN]

I hear it from my patients all the time. I used to work with patients who were former or current members of the Canadian military, those patient swore like no tomorrow. Some nurses I worked with would try to tell them to stop swearing, but I never bothered. It's a free country, as long as they're not swearing at staff I don't care what they say.

Some of my co-workers swear, I do it sometimes. Nothing like telling the oncoming shift that the day was a cluster-**** or a ****-show. I think it's good for getting some of the stress out. I'd prefer my fellow nurses keep the cursing to a minimum in front of the patients, but they're adults, I'm not going to try to control what they say.

[hawaiicarl, BSN, RN]

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..

These are all awesome examples ... funny, but not funny haha, funny yikes!

Cheers

[Fernando RNC-NIC,BSN, MSN]

Too much profanity can be a situational thing. When I worked in the ER, I would tell patients to watch their language when they were using it maliciously. Almost to the point that I would stop a whole conversation if they would not stop using profanity. I also had had moments when patients were in severe pain and would yell out profane language in which case I would allow to an extent.

[humerusRN]

I work in pediatrics.

I drop the F bomb daily - out of patient earshot, of course.

[Wuzzie]

I am proud to say I have brought out the "inner-sailor" in my co-workers and we are all the better for it.