Do most ivory tower programs have a blame culture?

Hello, currently taking a research year (bw m3 and m4) at an Ivory Tower program in a surgical sub-specialty. I'm coming from a lower tier MD school, and my experience with the hospital affiliated with my med school has been fantastic in terms of residency culture (eg. someone does something wrong they own up to it, no one is trying to blame you for anything, lesson is learned and everyone moves on).

For the past several months I've worked here at this hospital as a research gap year med student, I've noticed during my time with the team (attending surgeons, residents, clinic staff) that everyone does not hesitate to throw each other under the bus/blame someone. It is never their fault and no one takes ownership. It's in all aspects including in the OR, research, in the clinic. And people will hold onto the one or two mistakes and be convinced someone "cant get the job done" after that. Also everyone is incredibly high strung and stuck up. Even the secretary and NP. There is simply no chill, and it's a suffocating environment.

I've been walking on egg shells everyday since I've been here watching this unfold because it's easy to throw me under the bus bc I am at the bottom of the totem pole. There have been several times my team has also tried to throw me under the bus (including my PI) but I had documented in the clinic note or sent an email, etc. to defend myself.

I hate myself for doing this, but I've also had to do the same and throw people under the bus, because I felt like if not all the blame would unjustly come on me. It sadly seems like the only way to come out of this year successful. Everyone who seems like the biggest gunner/most high strung seems to get the most praise from attendings? I'm seriously confused. Just wondering if this is just this program or if in general Ivory Tower programs are all like this? Is it just me that thinks this is toxic/getting stressed out because of situations like this? Thank you for your thoughts.