Unfortunately, the workplace culture undermines that mission. I witnessed and personally experienced a toxic environment that included hazing, emotional manipulation, and retaliation for raising concerns. “Nurse eat their young” dynamics were pervasive and normalized by management.
Despite voicing boundaries and requesting reasonable support, I was met with coldness, gaslighting, or increased workload. Excessive call expectations pushed work-life balance beyond sustainable limits. Leadership seemed to prioritize control and compliance over collaboration or integrity.
There is minimal psychological safety here — and speaking up can damage your career within the organization. The burnout is real, and high turnover reflects that.
I directly witnessed a nursing leader engage in unprofessional behavior — speaking negatively about staff to their peers, including myself and my coworkers. Rather than providing constructive feedback or mentorship, this leader would bypass communication entirely and instead spread damaging narratives about staff performance. Expectations were often vague, inconsistent, and changed without warning — making it extremely difficult to succeed or grow. This created a climate of fear and instability rather than support or development.
