EMS is notorious for the high stress, long hours, and repeated exposure to trauma that leave an alarming number of burned-out professionals in its wake. Whether you work for a private ambulance, fire department, or in a hospital setting, burnout is a real and pervasive threat to the well-being of any EMS provider. And, where burnout is often found, so is a toxic workplace. In this episode, Steve, Dan, and Holly talk about their experiences in toxic environments or around toxic individuals. They discuss how easy it is to become part of the toxic culture, and why that makes it crucial to recognize associated patterns of thoughts and behavior and rise above them. The team then walks through steps to prevent becoming entrenched in the thoughts and behaviors that lend themselves to toxicity. This episode provides an opportunity to reflect both on one’s environment and to look inward to examine if there are aspects of toxicity that have crept into our thoughts and practices. It also gives helpful tools to self-correct to preserve our mental health and support and improve our department’s culture.

 

References:

1. Sutton, R. I. (2007). The no asshole rule: building a civilized workplace and surviving one that isn’t. https://ci.nii.ac.jp/ncid/BB0417406X
2. Ahmed, A. K., Atta, M. H. R., & El-Monshed, A. H. (2024). The effect of toxic leadership on workplace deviance: the mediating effect of emotional exhaustion, and the moderating effect of organizational cynicism. BMC Nursing, 23, Article 669.