HOW DO YOU SURVIVE A TOXIC WORK ENVIRONMENT?.( MY EXPERIENCE)

1.Open and Honest Communication.Nurses have power to deliver the nursing care, the physicians and the hospital administration need the nurses to deliver the care.It is very important to be open and honest with what we do. In fact most of the processes in health care systems are complicated and should include various activities and major gains in production and quality will be the result from various teams coming across professional and functional boundaries. All nurses feel powerless as novice or during the advanced beginner stages. The biggest challenges is moving from been powerless to empowerment, feeling professionally competent ,taking up responsibilities with confidence.I understand and experienced that feelings of moving from novice to competent and confidence.It is very important that every professional group in health understand its role in the process of patient care and how these various roles are very important in patient outcomes.Alignment and commitment of employees will be necessary for continuous performance improvement. Put patient first in everything we do as healthcare professionals and plan to do better each time.

2.Commitment to Excellence. A group of professionals pooling skills, knowledge and experience together will bring better customers services and progress for the organization.A tree cannot make a forest so we need everyone to bring in their talents since one person cannot make all the decisions. Commitment excellence means everyone doing quality improvement to make a difference in their organization. Process improvement is a challenge,it takes a long time with lots of hardwork. Synergy that will come from a group of people builds commitment to Excellence and provide support for improvement. Organizational members must identify the goals that they want to accomplish.

3.Cooperation,Support and Empowerment.There should be cooperation, support and empowerment from management. Nurses are taught to take accountability and responsibility for their own practice and use critical thinking to help them resolve problems with patients and families. The hierarchical management model tends to make less sense because it was based on notion power and that management has all the power and can use their powers to organize work and to make sure that it is accomplished.But nurses having been educated to think critically so some of management power shifted to nurses.Management and nurses should work hand in hand to make a better decision with respect to boundaries.

4.Sense of Humor.Good sense of humor allows work to go well.Nagging ,Agitation and constant complaints are not conducive work environment. What is your perspective?.

5.Compassion,Respect and Understanding. Caring and Compassion are very important in health care.Respecting individuals boundaries and at the same time working as a team is very important.

6.Flexibility.It is imperative to note that flexibility is the Fourth Criteria for successful Communication.Be flexible and willing to take a task when call upon.Promotion of flexibility in workplace can lead to various innovations that will improve patient care.That is the ability to adapt to changes and modifications of patient care.

7.Positive Reinforcement. Introduction of a pleasant stimulant after a good behavior. The pleasant stimulant will allow that behavior to reoccur. Management should learn to reinforce positive behaviors. They are very good with punishment of behavior or actions that they don’t want especially nurses that they don’t want or dislike. They drag and humiliate them for others to see.Whereas their favorites mistakes are swept under the rug until it gets out of hand.

8.Emphasis and Health.Good health care is very important in taking care of others.Managing your well-being will allow you to manage others.Please feel free to add what you can contribute.

Family vs Environment. Family is the most direct environmental influence on the people. The second concept basic of professional nursing practice is the environment which include the overall circumstances and conditions that surrounds and affect individuals.The type and quality of health care provided to children when they are growing up from infant to children and early adolescent will be the total major determinant of their health. It is the environment that will promote or interfere with homeostasis and the well-being of every individual according various studies.