Toxic Nursing, Second Edition

Book excerpt: Nursing has a not-so-secret problem. The profession is prone to—some would say thrives on—workplace conflict, incivility, bullying, and meanness. And while nurses observe and experience this conflict daily, too few have been trained in its resolution. Toxic Nursing aims to change that with strategies, tools, and techniques to help nurse leaders, managers, and administrators defuse conflict, turn around toxic situations, and create positive, healthy work environments. Written by Cheryl Dellasega—author of the groundbreaking books Surviving Ophelia and Mean Girls Grown Up—Toxic Nursing explores the reasons behind toxic behavior and its impact on not just the workplace but patient safety. TABLE OF CONTENTS Part 1: The Relational Nurse Manager Chapter 1: Incivility Chapter 2: The Newbie: Mistreatment of New Nurses Chapter 3: The Know-It-All/Criticism Queen Chapter 4: Gossip and Trash Talk Chapter 5: Cliques, Campaigns, and High School Drama Chapter 6: Competition and Credit Chapter 7: Nurse Managers as the Problem Part 2: Working Together Chapter 8: Men in White Chapter 9: Better Than You Chapter 10: Generations at Work Chapter 11: Competent and Caring Leaders? Chapter 12: Social Media, Electronic Communication, and Professionalism Part 3: Navigating Toxic Systems Chapter 13: Politics and CYA Chapter 14: Patients as Victims Chapter 15: On the Battlefield: Nurses Under Attack Chapter 16: Toxic Culture/Environment Chapter 17: Conclusion Appendix A: Is Your Management Style Causing Conflict? Appendix B: Conflict Case Scenario Appendix C: Organizational Cynicism Self-Assessment Appendix D: When It’s Time to Seek Outside Counsel Appendix E: Compassion Fatigue ABOUT THE AUTHOR CHERYL DELLASEGA, PhD, RN, CRNP, is a Professor in the Department of Humanities at Penn State College of Medicine. An award-winning author, speaker, and researcher—and founder of Club and Camp Ophelia—she has spent much of her career helping women and girls confront and overcome bullying and relational aggression. She has worked clini­cally as a nurse practitioner and is an international expert on family relationships.