Toxic Work Environment

Nurses Relations

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Hey Y'all, just feeling really defeated and looking for some encouragement

I've been a RN for 8 years and last year I went back to school for a graduate degree

The program is made for working adults, but it's still grad school- I'm also married with children

I loved my job, manager and co-workers, but the pressure of ICU and trying to have good work life balance with my family and school got to be too much

I transferred to a clinic within my company- regular hours, no weekends, holidays, or missing my children's school programs anymore, and a shorter commute- YAY!

NOPE

I work with four other nurses and with the exception of one of them, the atmosphere is toxic and cold

Asking questions earns condescending caustic remarks, sometimes eye rolls

I try to be personable with at least a "Good Morning, how are you?" And I'm lucky if I get an answer at all- if I do it's one word answers with no courtesy of "how are you?" returned

It's not like I've never worked with jerks before- but it's obviously different when you're in patient- Usually you're too busy to care too much about your co workers, and its easy to avoid the jerks

But in clinic, I'm at a desk most of the day within a few feet of the other nurses

My manger is aware somewhat, but obviously I'm not gonna go tattle every time they're rude

I'm trying to not take it personally as I've seen them all be rude to other people in the clinic, but honestly I just don't have the patience for this nonsense

Any tips our tricks for dealing with a toxic work environment while you have to be in close proximity to the toxic co workers?

Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.

If it is a toxic environment, you won't change it yourself. If your mental and physical health suffer, the job isn't worth it. I'd go elsewhere. And I have worked in toxic environments, and I am not saying this lightly.

Best wishes.

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Specializes in Tele, OB, public health.

Thanks! I actually have 2 interviews this week :)

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Hi Dinah,

There might be a reason why they are acting like that. Here are some ideas on it: they have bad management could be at any level of the chain of command or even across disciplines so that they are acting that way as a result of the environment; could be the person who held the job before you was someone they really liked and bonded with but was fired for unfair reasons and they are unhappy that you are there because their friend is not there; could be they have to compete with each other - again a management quality problem; could be they have seen a lot of people come and go and don't think you will last very long so why bother.

I agree with the one who said that the best thing to do is to behave professionally and not worry too much about it. Also, you might consider looking for a different job unless this one has more positive than negative qualities. Consider that may not see any changes in the dynamic and to focus on changing yourself as opposed to trying to change the others. How can you better change yourself in order to get the job done without harming other people in the process?

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