Toxic Healthcare Personalities

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Recently, there was a discussion in this forum about know-it-all nurses, and it got me thinking about all the other kinds of toxic personalities we encounter in the healthcare setting. What is the worst toxic healthcare personality you have ever encountered?

:angryfire:bugeyes:

:yawn::madface::cry:

hahahahahaha Flightline. Thanks for the laugh. :D

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Specializes in CV Surgical, ICU.

The thing that is most distressing about the 'constant complainers/whiners' is that eventually, even though you try your best to tune them out, it starts to wear on you after a while. They have a tendency to leech away all of your energy! :(

So in the long run, I think they are most harmful to have on a floor. They bring the morale down all around them

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I am sure I fit the role of any of the above mentioned nurses at least once during my working career. Sorry guys@

I find it disturbing when I am working, and it is busy, busy, busy, there is always one nurse who complains I am not smiling, or chatting, or lending a helping hand. I am busy for goodness sakes, I have patient problems on my mind, I have issues to resolve,

and you always need help but never give any help to others, so please, I will smile when I feel like it, talk when I have something to say or ask, and lend a hand when I can, after my issues are resolved, not before.

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Boy, as a new Nurse I have so much to look forward to lol. It gives me a lot of insight on what not to be like!

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I don't know that this is the worst personality I have encountered in healthcare, but I never fail to be disappointed in those who refuse to share their knowledge and who take pleasure in the failure of others.

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Specializes in ICU, Telemetry.

My top six toxics....and by toxic, I mean the ones who drive the good ones away

--The NM who's forgotten the first word in her title is NURSE

--The "divide and conquer" manager -- tells one employee that another "doesn't find them to be a team player" or "has concerns about their quality of care" without specifics, but makes SURE to tell you who told her, so everybody starts squabbling. Everybody cliches up and starts fighting, nobody's watching management...

--The "Captain of the Titanic" manager -- you're yelling "ICEBURG DEAD AHEAD" and they're **** about the placement of the silverware in the dining room. We received a survey asking what management could do to help us provide better care, and my entire shift sat down and did them together -- and we all put, "hire additional nurses, get us functioning equipment (half our BP machines don't work), and get more IV and PEG equipment." The write up that management sent down? They will address our concerns over the paint job in the breakroom. WTH? I didn't even realize the breakroom is painted, I never have time to be in there....

--"The snitch" -- to maintain her position as the "favorite", she will report any perceived infraction, and if she can't find enough, she'll make one up. My NM jumped me one morning because it was "reported" I left an insulin syringe on the pt's bed after administering insulin. I jumped her back, especially since that particular night, I HAD NO DIABETICS.....

--"The Driver" -- as in, the charge or NM who mistakes motion for progress, and activity for accomplishment. I don't care if you're on 50 committees, can you tell me ONE THING that has been accomplished? You talk about our customer satisfaction scores, have you noticed the bad nursing evaluation scores, as evidenced by 75% turnover in the last year?

And the worst...."Princess of the unobvious" -- the charge or NM who focuses on everything but what's important. This is the person who would walk past a code in progress, to complain about the furniture being thrown out of the room (to make room for the code cart), since furniture isn't supposed to be in the hallway...(actually saw this one, the MD on the scene told her to get the "H" out if she could spell "CODE"

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Specializes in Psychiatric Nursing.

I have a guy I am working with and it is just the two of us running our unit some nights. He has been there longer then I have and because of his senority he is technically "charge". He never has any idea what is going on on the unit!?!?! Poor thing is the nicest guy ever and will do whatever is asked of him but is so incredibly passive that I belive it compromises his work considerably. I work on a psych floor and we had a patient who had to go into the quiet room for a time out, because this patient had no hx in the past of any behavioral incidences it was pretty significant, their was a few other things that made it even more so but would take forever to type up.... but all in all something that needed to be charted/given on in report for the next shift. This Nurse does neither and then when approached by the supervisor about it he stated "Oh I did not even know he was in the quiet room, what's his name... I did not know he was my patient" He continues repeating all night long like its someone elses fault he does not know who his patient was. Well if you dont know who you have who does!!! I am really afraid for the first night it is just us and we have to call a behvioral code... or even worse a medical one. :confused:

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My worst thing is the constant complainers, also. Just wanna shake 'em, and say "yes, we all know it sucks today, it sucks for all of us. Your constant ******** is not helping..it's making it worse!!" I tend to be like Viva, and do the cover thing..but I will pay more attention to that from now on Flightline, your example proved just how irritating that can be LOL!!:lol2:

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Specializes in Geriatrics, Home Health.
Also anyone who has ever utterred the words "that is not my job".

What if it really isn't your job?

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Specializes in Utilization Management.
What is the worst toxic healthcare personality you have ever encountered?

:angryfire:bugeyes:

:yawn::madface::cry:

To me, the worst toxic healthcare personality I have ever encountered is the one who remains silent when an injustice is being perpetrated upon a coworker.

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Specializes in Med/Surg.

The nurse that stops working ten hours into her 12-hour shift - and you have to follow her, and it takes the first hour of your shift (at least) to clean up her mess.

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Specializes in ICU.
To me, the worst toxic healthcare personality I have ever encountered is the one who remains silent when an injustice is being perpetrated upon a coworker.

This is interesting. Can you elaborate? I had an incident once where I was in the right, but the only one who was a wittness to it didn't want to get involved.

My worst thing is the constant complainers, also. Just wanna shake 'em, and say "yes, we all know it sucks today, it sucks for all of us. Your constant ******* is not helping..it's making it worse!!" I tend to be like Viva, and do the cover thing..but I will pay more attention to that from now on Flightline, your example proved just how irritating that can be LOL!!:lol2:

It is true though that those negative people drain energy and make a bad day worse.

hahahahahaha Flightline. Thanks for the laugh. :D

Always happy to entertain!:D

I am sure I fit the role of any of the above mentioned nurses at least once during my working career. Sorry guys@

I find it disturbing when I am working, and it is busy, busy, busy, there is always one nurse who complains I am not smiling, or chatting, or lending a helping hand. I am busy for goodness sakes, I have patient problems on my mind, I have issues to resolve,

and you always need help but never give any help to others, so please, I will smile when I feel like it, talk when I have something to say or ask, and lend a hand when I can, after my issues are resolved, not before.

People who tell me to smile make me want to wear a T-shirt that says "Rampage Happens!":angryfire

My top six toxics....and by toxic, I mean the ones who drive the good ones away

--The NM who's forgotten the first word in her title is NURSE

--The "divide and conquer" manager -- tells one employee that another "doesn't find them to be a team player" or "has concerns about their quality of care" without specifics, but makes SURE to tell you who told her, so everybody starts squabbling. Everybody cliches up and starts fighting, nobody's watching management...

--The "Captain of the Titanic" manager -- you're yelling "ICEBURG DEAD AHEAD" and they're **** about the placement of the silverware in the dining room. We received a survey asking what management could do to help us provide better care, and my entire shift sat down and did them together -- and we all put, "hire additional nurses, get us functioning equipment (half our BP machines don't work), and get more IV and PEG equipment." The write up that management sent down? They will address our concerns over the paint job in the breakroom. WTH? I didn't even realize the breakroom is painted, I never have time to be in there....

LOL!:yeah:

--"The snitch" -- to maintain her position as the "favorite", she will report any perceived infraction, and if she can't find enough, she'll make one up. My NM jumped me one morning because it was "reported" I left an insulin syringe on the pt's bed after administering insulin. I jumped her back, especially since that particular night, I HAD NO DIABETICS.....

--"The Driver" -- as in, the charge or NM who mistakes motion for progress, and activity for accomplishment. I don't care if you're on 50 committees, can you tell me ONE THING that has been accomplished? You talk about our customer satisfaction scores, have you noticed the bad nursing evaluation scores, as evidenced by 75% turnover in the last year?

Good point.

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