Description/Overview: Hostility, bullying, cynicism, and hopelessness often create a toxic work environment for nurses. This study takes a first look at relational aggression (RA or female-type bullying), organizational cynicism (a negative state and trait about employers), work commitment (attitudes toward continuance), as independent variables that impact on job satisfaction and intent to leave. The sample consisted of 1,321 nurses and physicians employed in a large academic health center. IRB approval was obtained prior to data collection. The RA Survey (RA) (Montgomery & Dellasega, 2011), Organizational Cynicism Scale (OC), and Work Commitment Scale (WC) were used to measure the variables of interest. An online confidential survey was posted through the institutional intranet, and all physicians and nurses were invited to participate at their convenience during the week long data collection. The response rate was 47%, with a final sample size of 953 nurses and 205 physicians (135 participants did not disclose their profession.) Inferential statistics revealed that nurses were significantly more organizationally cynical (p<.01) than their physician counterparts. Both groups experienced relational aggression, but without significant differences in the specific categories of victim, aggressor, and bystander. Nurses were significantly more likely than physicians to have continuance and normative commitment. Regression analysis of job satisfaction and intent to leave were run using RA and OC as predictors. Intent to leave was highly predicted by OC (OR=4.8) and RA (2.6), with victims most “likely to leave” (73%), and in-betweens and aggressors “somewhat likely” intend leaving (9% and 7%, respectively). Implications of this study are important since a negative work environment in can adversely affect nurse and patient wellbeing. Interventions to promote a healthier workplace are needed as well as further study to explore nuances of the toxic nursing workplace.

Learner Objective #1: Define relational aggression/bullying and identify behaviors and scenarios that commonly occur among nurses.

Learner Objective #2: Discuss how relational aggression/bullying, cynicism, and commitment impact on the nursing workplace environment.