There’s no questioning the difficulty of a career as a nurse. You may have to work long hours, deal with a variety of patients each day, and spend most of the time on your feet. You also have to deal with the risk of things like patient violence or the general sadness that comes from losing a patient you’ve been working with. But, nursing can be an incredibly rewarding career when you’re in the right work environment. A toxic work environment, however, is a different story. It can make getting your job done feel nearly impossible. If you come home each day feeling absolutely drained, and perhaps even frustrated or helpless, you might be dealing with a harmful environment at work.

So, how can you know what a toxic work environment looks like? What are your rights, as a nurse, to a healthy environment, and what can you do to make sure those rights are upheld?

What Does a Toxic Work Environment Look Like?

As a nurse, you probably already understand the importance of being able to adapt to different work cultures. If you’re not sure how to learn more about a specific culture or atmosphere within a workplace, there are a few things you can do to get a feel for it quickly, including:

  • Watching and learning from others
  • Asking questions
  • Staying transparent

The more you observe and the more questions you ask, the easier it can become to see if you’re dealing with an unhealthy work environment. Bear in mind that if you don’t like your job or you’re not satisfied with your work, that doesn’t automatically mean you’re in a toxic environment. You may need to try a different career path. But, toxicity in the workplace is very different. You can recognize it through some of the following signs:

  • There is an overall lack of communication
  • There are cliques, exclusions, or groups
  • The workers aren’t motivated to do their jobs
  • Growth is discouraged
  • Everyone is burnt out
See also
Depression in Nurses: The Unspoken Epidemic

Finally, there’s nothing wrong with going with your gut. If you get a “bad” feeling about your workplace, even if you can’t quite put your finger on it, don’t ignore those feelings.

How Can It Affect You?

A toxic work environment is more than just an inconvenience. It’s more than just something to “trudge through”. In fact, an unhealthy work environment can contribute to a variety of physical and mental health issues. Some of the most common problems include:

  • Fatigue
  • Upset stomach
  • Heart issues
  • Muscle aches
  • High blood pressure

The toll on your mental health is nothing to take lightly, either. You might find yourself constantly feeling stressed and overwhelmed at work. It doesn’t take much for that to carry into your home life if you can’t let the feelings of the day go when you walk in the door. That constant feeling of stress can lead to mental health conditions like anxiety, or even depression. As that continues, you may end up needing to get extra help just to deal with those conditions.

Working every day in a toxic environment can wear you down. So much so, that it can even weaken your immune system, making it easier to get sick. As a nurse, you know the importance of taking care of your mind and body. If you don’t make self-care a priority, it could impact your personal life in a negative way. Your work environment shouldn’t be the thing that compromises your health.

How to Find a Healthier Environment in Your Field

If you find yourself in a toxic work environment, the best thing you can do is leave. An environment that large isn’t likely to change, even if you address the issues. You need to prioritize your needs when it comes to your career and your overall well-being. But, leaving a job isn’t always easy if you need the income.

See also
Inclusion, Part 2: Changing the Culture

Waiting to leave until you have another job lined up is always a safer option. Or, you might consider going a more nontraditional route with a remote job. Remote jobs allow you to work from home (or anywhere!), eliminating everything from toxic employees to negative patient interactions. Working remotely can help to reduce your stress levels and offer more flexibility.

Obviously, not all nursing jobs are able to be done remotely, but there are some that will allow you to work from home while still caring for others, including:

  • Clinical appeals nurse
  • Health informatics
  • Nursing instructor
  • Nurse auditor
  • Telephone triage nurse

Some larger hospitals and even national health care groups are always looking for nurses who can work remotely and fulfill these needs. These particular jobs might be different from what you’re used to, but that could be exactly what you need to break free from a toxic environment. In doing so, you can learn to enjoy your work again, and find fulfillment in helping patients while taking care of yourself, too.

Sam Bowman
Latest posts by Sam Bowman (see all)
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How to Tackle Nurse-on-Nurse Bullying
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