Question

Define Conflict and give three important factors to consider when dealing with conflict

Answer 1

“struggle resulting from incompatible or opposing needs, drives, wishes, or external or internal demands.” Interpersonal conflict occurs when that struggle is between two or more people and can actually arise at many different relationship levels: between doctors and nurses, between patients and nurses, and even between nurse

Issue-Based Conflict in Nursing

issue-based conflicts occur when the root cause is a disagreement about how to handle a problem at hand. This is the most straightforward of the types of conflict that you’ll encounter in nursing, as the main source of tension is simply a difference in approach to a common solution

Ego-Based Conflict in Nursing

Ego-based conflicts occur when a disagreement about how to handle a problem at hand is complicated or exacerbated by the risk of damaging one or more party’s sense of self-esteem or perceived standing in the relationship. This type of conflict is more complex, as the issue at hand is deeper than surface-level; one or more of the individuals involved may need to examine themselves more introspectively to better understand where their conviction comes from

A simple way to reduce ego-based interpersonal conflict in nursing is to avoid situations that may worsen personality clashes with coworkers, superiors, or patients as much as possible. Instead, choose a private, or neutral, setting to engage individual(s) in dialogue as early as possible to de-escalate any perceived tensions

Values/Ethics-Based Conflict in Nursing

Value-based conflicts occur when the source of disagreement arises because of a difference in each individual’s values or ethics. Our values and ethics come from a variety of places: personal background, life experience, work environment, industry norms, education, and so many other places. They’re also traits that guide the way we interact with and identify others.

It’s important to understand that differences in personal values, ethics, and conflicts in nursing may occur because a procedure, practice, or opinion that you’re witnessing (or holding) is against the rules, regulations, or ethics of the nursing and travel healthcare industry. If you’re caught in one of the first two situations, not only are these conflicts reasonable and expected, they're something you should take the initiative to resolve conflict (in fact, you might have to if you want to keep your job as a nurse).

Conflict In Nursing: Types, Strategies, and Resolutions

Nov 19, 2019

The Trusted Team

No job is completely drama-free, and travel nursing is no exception: conflict in nursing definitely exists, making conflict resolution an important (albeit underrated) skill.
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Conflict In Healthcare Settings

Different people with different personal and professional backgrounds will often have different opinions on the best course of care. Misunderstandings, especially in a fast-paced healthcare setting, can and will occur. Add in the stress inherent in caring for (and saving) lives, and it’s no wonder that we expect to face conflict in nursing and other healthcare specialties.

But there’s a difference between conflict and hostility. In fact, most sources of conflict in nursing shouldn’t lead to hostility. While you may disagree with the patient care plan, be unhappy with the way that someone is handling a situation, or even seriously question the ethics of certain procedures, there are ways to de-escalate tension and practice conflict resolution skills in nursing.

And by learning (and practicing) how to do so, you’ll not only be making your day-to-day easier, you’ll be redirecting everyone’s energy and focus to the patients and their families―the people who need it most.
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Types of Conflict in Nursing

The Merriam Webster dictionary defines conflict in part as any “struggle resulting from incompatible or opposing needs, drives, wishes, or external or internal demands.” Interpersonal conflict occurs when that struggle is between two or more people and can actually arise at many different relationship levels: between doctors and nurses, between patients and nurses, and even between nurses!

Not all conflicts are created equal, and that’s important to know. Developing a reliable way to determine the basis of any issue in which you’re not seeing eye-to-eye with someone else is the first step to creating a roadmap to conflict resolution. And by taking this step, you’re increasing your ability to leverage empathy and pay attention to behavioral clues that can help you identify the best approach to resolve the situation at hand.
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Issue-Based Conflict in Nursing

Issue-based conflicts occur when the root cause is a disagreement about how to handle a problem at hand. This is the most straightforward of the types of conflict that you’ll encounter in nursing, as the main source of tension is simply a difference in approach to a common solution. Accordingly, it’s often the easiest type of conflict to resolve.

As long as communication remains open, clarification (and sometimes compromise) can forge a path agreeable to both parties.

Example: Based on his experience from previous travel nurse assignments, a travel nurse new to a facility disagrees with the way a staff nurse is changing a patient’s bandages. Instead of trying to coerce the staff nurse into adapting his preferred method, the travel nurse consults with other nurses on the unit and realizes that his preferred way of changing bandages is different from facility protocol. The travel nurse adapts to the facility’s protocol for changing patient bandages while on that assignment.
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Ego-Based Conflict in Nursing

Ego-based conflicts occur when a disagreement about how to handle a problem at hand is complicated or exacerbated by the risk of damaging one or more party’s sense of self-esteem or perceived standing in the relationship. This type of conflict is more complex, as the issue at hand is deeper than surface-level; one or more of the individuals involved may need to examine themselves more introspectively to better understand where their conviction comes from.

For example, is the conflict driven by a desire to create a better solution, or is it driven by the need to be “right?"

A simple way to reduce ego-based interpersonal conflict in nursing is to avoid situations that may worsen personality clashes with coworkers, superiors, or patients as much as possible. Instead, choose a private, or neutral, setting to engage individual(s) in dialogue as early as possible to de-escalate any perceived tensions.

Example: A travel nurse approaches a physician to double-check an order for medication before administering the medication to its intended patient. The physician―interpreting the question as a sign of distrust in his own expertise―publicly lashes back at the nurse and reports his dissatisfaction with the travel nurse to the charge nurse on duty. Instead of responding publicly in kind, the travel nurse enlists the help and support of the charge nurse to find an opportunity to discuss the incident and resolve hard feelings with the physician privately.
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Values/Ethics-Based Conflict in Nursing

Value-based conflicts occur when the source of disagreement arises because of a difference in each individual’s values or ethics. Our values and ethics come from a variety of places: personal background, life experience, work environment, industry norms, education, and so many other places. They’re also traits that guide the way we interact with and identify others.

Because values and ethics often create such a cornerstone to our beliefs, tensions based a difference of values and ethics may not come to a clean resolution, and that’s okay.

It’s important to understand that differences in personal values, ethics, and conflicts in nursing may occur because a procedure, practice, or opinion that you’re witnessing (or holding) is against the rules, regulations, or ethics of the nursing and travel healthcare industry. If you’re caught in one of the first two situations, not only are these conflicts reasonable and expected, they're something you should take the initiative to resolve conflict (in fact, you might have to if you want to keep your job as a nurse).

On the other hand, codes of ethics exist to keep patients and providers safe, and as a clinician, it’s important to do your part to uphold them.

Example: A travel nurse overhears her patients and their families discussing moral beliefs and political views that are completely different from her own. Regardless of their differences in opinion, this nurse still strives to provide this patient with the highest level of care and compassion possible and even makes an extra effort to chat about common interests with the patient, making the patient’s stay in the hospital a bit more bearable.
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Interpersonal conflict can be rooted in a disagreement on how to handle an issue, a perceived risk to self-esteem and reputation, or a difference in values. Understanding which is behind your conflict is the first step toward resolving it.

Conflict Resolution Strategies in Nursing

Anyone who faces interpersonal conflict in nursing has a variety of options on how to handle it. In fact, people’s approaches to conflict usually follow one of five routes:

1. ‍Competing: Nurses whose conflict resolution strategies revolve around competing tend to be overly assertive and preoccupied with “winning” the argument rather than coming to the best possible solution. ‍
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2. Obliging: Nurses who choose to use obliging as their main conflict resolution strategy are people-pleasers. They’re fine accommodating other ideas even at the expense of shelving or de-prioritizing their own. This can be helpful when it moves the best solution forward, but it can also be dangerous because it may lead to a case where an individual withholds valid convictions or opinions just to “keep the peace.”‍
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3. Avoiding: Nurses who rely on avoidance as a conflict resolution strategy choose to avoid the source of conflict or leave it alone altogether rather than confronting it head on. Similar to obliging, avoiding increases the chances of a group going with unvetted (or under-vetted) ideas, which can be harmful in the long run. ‍
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4. Compromising: Instead of adopting a “me vs. you” mentality, nurses approaching interpersonal conflict resolution from a compromising mentality aim to reach a solution that makes both sides at least partially happy. By doing so, both sides leave with something they want and are able to move forward with implementing a solution.‍
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5. Collaborating: Nurses who choose collaboration as their conflict resolution strategy incorporate others’ ideas into their own; while the result may not be as half-and-half as with the compromising method, the solution still has aspects of everyone’s opinions and input, increasing group buy-in and general satisfaction with the final decision.