Toxic Nurses

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Mar 26, 2016

"This is a 24-hour job. I'm not in the mood for your **** today, so cut the crap. I really didn't have the time."

Some people are not fans of telling toxic nurses off. They insist that you must never 'stoop to their level.' They insist it's unprofessional. However, I find that a well-positioned curse word shuts toxic nurses the hell up, especially during report.

You can sit there and take it, or you can give them a taste of their own medicine. Professionalism be damned. I'll treat coworkers the way they treat me. After a while they get the message that the vinegar they've been dousing is getting doused right back at them, and they miraculously back down.

allnurses Guide · Mar 26, 2016

How do you deal with any toxic co-worker?

Commuter is right. Don't put up with it.

nutella, MSN, RN · Mar 26, 2016

What is the best way to deal with toxic nurses?
After a night shift from hell, I was giving report on my patient to a day shift RN. I explained an antibiotic had been given late because I was infusing blood, tried to start another IV, couldn't get it, and then got busy with other emergent patients. She made disparaging comments. Then she commented that I hadn't had the pt. sign the consent for a procedure that day. I couldn't think of a come back at the time, or articulate myself, but I hadn't done it because MD never explained procedure to pt. that I was informed of, and they are informed consents. Our unit is lax on the informed portion of the consent. Finally, she got mad the 6:30 blood sugar hadn't been done by 0700. I explained I was dealing with a more emergent pt. who had arrived in the ED.
She makes snide comments over and over again and I know it's her being passive aggressive but it still makes you feel like ****, and it's only afterwards that you realize what you should have said/done.
So, how do you guys deal with toxic nurses? I just keep reminding myself I already turned in my resignation and it's just counting down the days now.

As Commuter already mentioned - speaking up in a secure way is important. However, while some nurses will display aggression straight up, some others may just mutter the passive aggressive comments that will make you miserable as well. I worked at a place once where younger nurses were literally afraid to give report to certain nurses as they would always find something not done and perceived that apparently as a personal attack on their ability to start the shift in a relax manner....

I left a job in "one of the best hospitals yadda yadda" because the whole culture was full of lateral violence in the silent way where people would not talk to new nurses (no new grades on that unit), treat them as "air", not offer help (but help each other), and so on. It was a known culture and the advice I got was to suck it up until somebody else starts - they would focus on that person instead. I left, have not regretted that decision though they will never hire me into their system again I suspect.

Fiona59 · Mar 26, 2016

You work on my unit!

Pangea Reunited, ASN, RN · Mar 26, 2016

I can be frustrating to be running late before you've even finished getting report. I tend to be understanding and sympathetic in most cases, but there are a few serial offenders who have a "shift from hell" every night and are always very behind on absolutely everything.

Assuming that you're not one of those, just answer report questions firmly and resist the urge to over-apologize. If you're confident about what and why you're doing something, people tend to back off quickly.

nutella, MSN, RN · Mar 26, 2016

I can be frustrating to be running late before you've even finished getting report. I tend to be understanding and sympathetic in most cases, but there are a few serial offenders who have a "shift from hell" every night and are always very behind on absolutely everything.
Assuming that you're not one of those, just answer report questions firmly and resist the urge to over-apologize. If you're confident about what and why you're doing something, people tend to back off quickly.

True, true - which reminds of another coworker I had who was known to moan and groan throughout the shifts loudly and constantly asking for help and delegating stuff to other nurses. She would always run out in time while other nurses, who had picked up some of her stuff, would not get out in time because of helping her...

Needless to way - that once this became evident, nurses were not keen on helping her. She always had the worst shift in her life ...