10 Signs of a Toxic Health Care Culture and How to Start Healing
It Often Starts Subtly…
You hear the sighs. See the eye rolls. Ideas are shot down or ignored. Nurses dread their next shift. And no one’s really talking about what’s wrong.
But make no mistake: a toxic health care culture is not “just the way it is.” It’s a red flag, and one that deeply affects staff safety, patient outcomes, and your professional well-being.
You may be saying “Our culture is not really toxic, it is just dysfunctional or unhealthy, so perhaps I don’t really need to do anything right now”.
In my work with hospitals and health systems across the globe, I’ve seen culture make or break an organization. And I’ve seen cultures rapidly deteriorate from dysfunctional and unhealthy, to downright toxic. Here’s how to recognize the signs, and what to do next.
10 Signs You’re Working in a Toxic Health Care Culture
1. Psychological safety is nonexistent.
People don’t feel safe speaking up.
2. Gossip is rampant and unaddressed.
Rumors take the place of open dialogue.
3. Blame is louder than learning.
Mistakes result in shame, not growth.
4. Leadership is disengaged or inconsistent.
Visibility is rare, follow-through even rarer.
5. Turnover is high—and no one’s asking why.
Exit interviews? Ignored.
6. Passive aggression is the norm.
Feedback, if given, is weaponized.
7. Burnout is brushed aside.
Compassion fatigue is normalized.
8. Innovation is stifled.
“We’ve always done it this way” is the default.
9. Micromanagement thrives.
Trust is replaced with control.
10. Values are just posters on the wall.
Culture and behavior don’t align.
Why This Culture Crisis Matters
Unhealthy culture isn’t just unpleasant…it’s unsafe and unsustainable.
A broken culture leads to:
- Clinician burnout and workforce departure
- Increased patient safety events
- Poor engagement and declining care quality
- Lost trust between leadership and staff
- Widespread culture erosion—it spreads fast
What Health Care Leaders Can Do to Address Workplace Toxicity
The good news? You don’t have to overhaul everything to start healing. Start small—but start.
- Conduct a Culture Health Survey (not just engagement surveys)
- Create safe spaces for honest dialogue
- Acknowledge what’s broken—then name it
- Interrupt the cycle with aligned leadership behaviors
You’re not overreacting. You’re not imagining things. It’s okay to stop surviving and start rebuilding.
And you don’t have to fix it alone.
How CHCM Can Help Rebuild a Healthy Organizational Culture
At Creative Health Care Management, we partner with hospitals, systems, and nursing teams to:
- Diagnose cultural distress
- Engage leaders and staff in collective reset
- Build governance and trust systems
- Reignite the spirit of care—for patients, teams, and self
Ready to Take the First Step?
Download our free Culture Health Survey or book a confidential conversation with me.
Because culture doesn’t fix itself…leaders do.
Be the leader who starts it.
Gen is driven by the desire to help clients create organizational excellence through measurable improvement. She thrives on helping others reach meaningful goals, including Magnet® designation.