Running Head: Managing Conflict Among Co-Workers in the Nursing Field
Managing Conflict Among Co-Workers in the Nursing Field
Managing Conflict Among Co-Workers in the Nursing Field
Julia Benedict
Florida SouthWestern State College
Abstract
The research will show the many different relationships that are found within the nursing field and how those relationships and interactions can cause conflict. The research will also look to see how these relationships can be positive or negative and what factors can be changed to ensure that when conflict does arise it can be handled to produce a positive outcome. The research will go over the different types of conflict that nurses encounter and the sources of those conflict.
Keywords: conflict, relationships
In the Nursing field there are many different relationships that can have conflict, nurse to patient, nurse to physician, nurse to nurse, nurse to ancillary workers (medical records, radiology, secretary, food workers, housekeeping, maintenance, etc) and also the work-family relationship. All of the departments in a hospital, doctor’s office, nursing home or clinic work closely together to insure that patients are well taken care of and to ensure that patient care is top priority. Working closely with other departments when there is a good flow of communication can make for a great work environment but if there is a lack of communication then conflict can and will occur. Conflict is defined as an internal or external discord that results from differences of opinion, ideas or values between two or more people (Evans & Curtis, 2011). There are many different types of conflicts such as personality conflict, intergroup conflict, work family conflict, or cross-cultural and conflict can also be functional or dysfunctional.
The first relationship is the Nurse-Physician relationship. This relationship is one of the most important because physicians and nurses must have a mutual respect for one another and an open line of communication for the betterment of patient care. Physicians and nurses must have an open line of communication because each of them have information that is critical for the other to provide the patient with a positive experience (Lindeke & Sieckert, 2005). The nurse-physician relationship requires mutual respect and effective communication between the two (Lindeke & Sieckert, 2005) . Lack of communication or dysfunctional lines of communication can lead to errors in patient care (Arford, 2005). The conflicts between nurses and physicians can be anything from personal factors, relationship conflicts when personalities do not get along and organizational factors which are due to differences in opinions about the overall goal (Berman-Kishony, 2011). However when a conflict occurs that pushes one or the other outside their comfort zone and motivates them to think critically and produces the best outcome for all involved this is when conflict becomes functional. Functional conflict can be g...