In this case, the conflict is about role ambiguity and responsibility attribution in the medical-surgical unit. In particular, the RN tasked the LPN with preparing Mrs. J for a CT scan, but instead of doing it themselves as leaders should have done, the LPN claimed that they were waiting on another patient. This conflict demonstrates the many challenges of role demands, power relations, and interprofessional collaboration in the healthcare teams. The difference highlights the many difficulties associated with defining roles in a rapidly evolving medical environment that requires open communication and cooperation for successful patient treatment (Göktepe & Sarıköse, 2022). The tension also highlights the need for a sophisticated interpretation of the individual roles and a collective approach to solving the intricate network of healthcare duties and powers. To achieve a peaceful and productive working environment in the medical-surgical unit, it is very necessary to address these underlying issues.
Propose and cite two opposing strategies of conflict management to resolve your conflict.
Collaborative Problem Solving
The RN and LPN can come together to discuss the roles, workload, and expectations. They should design a contingency plan to ensure one is always available. Such an approach is intended to promote understanding, collaboration, and also collective responsibility for patient care (Labrague & De Los Santos, 2020).
Supervisory Intervention
In this approach, the escalation strategy is commonly used to bring in a higher authority, such as a nurse supervisor. The supervisor would act as a middleman in the dispute, address both sides’ complaints, and offer advice on role and function. With this method, authority figures ensure that compliance and protocols are followed.
Defend and cite your proposed strategy for conflict resolution.
The collaborative Problem-Solving approach is much better because it supports free communication, mutual understanding, and cooperation. Engaging the RN and LPN to resolve creates a sense of belongingness and shared responsibility. This aligns with the collaborative and patient-centered care philosophy in creating a favorable working atmosphere.
Address the strengths and weaknesses of the proposed strategy for conflict resolution.
Strengths
The cooperative problem-solving strategy promotes teamwork by facilitating open dialogue and shared understanding. This strategy may lead to a conducive team environment where the members cooperate to achieve common objectives. Additionally, by setting a precedent for how future disputes would be addressed, the collaborative method provides an enduring solution. It focuses on the underlying problems that trigger the conflict, leading to sustainable changes in the team performance.
Weaknesses
The collaborative approach may take a very long time as it involves a lot of thorough brainstorming and planning. Collaborative conflict resolution requires time and dedication from the RN and also LPN, who are involved. Additionally, the success of the collaborative strategy is largely dependent on the mutual readiness of both sides to participate in an open discussion and also a joint search for solutions. If the RN or the LPN declines to participate in this undertaking, it becomes less effective.
Propose your innovative strategy that is justified in your particular case.
Peer Mediation
A peer mediation program to resolve intra-unit conflicts includes inviting trained colleagues to help the RN and LPN involved in a conflict settle their differences. This method promotes voluntary mediation sessions, whereby the peer mediator facilitates the discussion process to encourage understanding and discover common ground (Haahr et al., 2020). The key innovation of peer mediation is the empowerment of the group, which allows it to independently resolve conflicts while creating a culture of shared responsibility. Besides, the peer mediator’s knowledge of the dynamics of the unit also improves efficiency.
Reflect upon your proposed strategy and discuss if this is the most innovative way to solve the problem.
The proposed strategy is very innovative in the sense that it enables the team to resolve conflicts among themselves. It encourages a culture of peer support and responsibility, and the mediator is a fellow professional who has an understanding of the unit’s landscape. Nevertheless, success relies heavily upon the performance of the mediation program and the staff members’ willingness to participate. Although advanced, it may need to be constantly trained and supported to remain effective.
References
Göktepe, N., & Sarıköse, S. (2022). Same place but different experience: A qualitative study on gender and the nursing work environment. Journal of Nursing Management, 30(7), 3227-3235. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/jonm.13748
Haahr, A., Norlyk, A., Martinsen, B., & Dreyer, P. (2020). Nurses experiences of ethical dilemmas: A review. Nursing ethics, 27(1), 258-272. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0969733019832941
Labrague, L. J., & De los Santos, J. A. A. (2020). COVID‐19 anxiety among front‐line nurses: Predictive role of organizational support, personal resilience, and social support. Journal of Nursing Management, 28(7), 1653-1661. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/jonm.13121
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