Q The 50 nurses in our specialized critical care unit have many years of experience and love our jobs. A new manager is making our work environment negative and hostile. We are called “lazy” and “children” and we are yelled at abusively. When we offer suggestions we are told it is none of our business and should leave decisions to the manager. We are familiar with the American Association for Critical Care Nurses’ (AACN) Standards for Establishing and Sustaining Healthy Work Environments, but they are not a priority for our manager. We are not a unionized hospital and do not have support from senior management to develop solutions. We do not want to quit our jobs—are there other approaches for us to consider?

A Connie Barden, RN, MSN, CCRN, CCNS, replies:

Thank you for asking about this very difficult situation in your unit. Not only will your inquiry engage you...

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