EMILIO AGUINALDO COLLEGE

Gov. D. Mangubat Ave., Brgy. Burol Main, City of Dasmariñas, Cavite 4114, Philippines
Tel. Nos. (046) 416-4339/41 www.eac.edu.ph

SCHOOL OF NURSING

Cabillo, Ma. Grace F.

Ganado, Jonalyn D.

NURSING LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

Midterm (Exercise)

Choose the most appropriate resolution approach.

Choose the most appropriate conflict resolution strategy. Support your decision with
rationale, and explain why other methods of conflict management were not used.

SITUATION 2

You are an RN, since you graduated six months ago, you have been working at an out-patient
emergency clinic and have recently begun to feel more confident in your new role. However, one
of the older nurses working with you constantly belittles your nursing education. Whenever you
request assistance in problem solving or in learning a new skill, she says, “Didn’t they teach you
anything in nursing school?”. The clinic supervisor has given you satisfactory three-month and
six- month evaluations, but you are becoming increasingly defensive regarding the comments of
the other nurse.

ACCOMMODATING

The appropriate conflict resolution strategy is to be accommodating, as the related phrase goes,
"kill them with kindness". As new nurses, we are always taught to be respectful to our seniors, so
if they don't like us, we should somehow give way to keep harmony within our station and prevent
the problem from escalating. In this situation, it may be helpful to explain to the associate degree
nurse that I value her input and would rather work with her as a team to help patients, rather than
leave her out of procedures. Additionally, it could be beneficial to communicate how I feel when
she makes that comment positively, rather than starting an argument or a fight. It's important to

QF-PQM-035 (03.05.2022) Rev.05

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 EMILIO AGUINALDO COLLEGE
Gov. D. Mangubat Ave., Brgy. Burol Main, City of Dasmariñas, Cavite 4114, Philippines
Tel. Nos. (046) 416-4339/41 www.eac.edu.ph

SCHOOL OF NURSING

show the associate degree nurse that I don't compete or compare levels of skill or degree and that
I would rather work together to maintain a safe environment for patients. By approaching the
situation with kindness and understanding, I may be able to resolve the conflict and continue
working together effectively.

CONFRONTING

Another conflict-resolution strategy that can be done during this situation is using the strategy
of confrontation. The word itself might sound too rough and straightforward and takes a lot of
courage to do but it gives a person, in this case the newly hired nurse a chance to speak up and
relay her side to the nurses they’re having a conflict with. It is mentioned in the situation that the
newly hired nurse is starting to become defensive because of the undesirable relationship with
other nurses. Using the strategy of confronting, the newly hired nurse will be able to voice out her
concern in a way that is decreasingly defensive so the professionalism and respect to the senior
nurses will still be there.

STRATEGIES THAT MIGHT NOT BE EFFECTIVE

Other strategies might not be effective for this situation. In the strategy of “avoidance”, it might
not be effective because based on the situation, the comments of senior nurses are starting to get
inside the new nurse’s head making them more defensive. If avoidance is done in this situation,
comments from the senior nurse will go on and on until it negatively affects the new nurse’s
performance because it badly affects her esteem and confidence. Other strategies such as
“competing” will also further escalate the problem especially because seniority is involved, this
strategy will only lead to a working area without harmony. Competing also involves doing
whatever you can even at the expense of another person and this may only lead to senior nurses
developing more negative feelings for the new nurse. It seems that in this situation, “compromise”
and “collaboration” may not be appropriate strategies. Both parties need to approach the problem
with an open mind, but the comments made by the other nurses about the new nurse seem to be
more personal attacks than constructive criticism. The lack of assertiveness and cooperation in

QF-PQM-035 (03.05.2022) Rev.05

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 EMILIO AGUINALDO COLLEGE
Gov. D. Mangubat Ave., Brgy. Burol Main, City of Dasmariñas, Cavite 4114, Philippines
Tel. Nos. (046) 416-4339/41 www.eac.edu.ph

SCHOOL OF NURSING

finding a mutually beneficial solution, coupled with the negative and attacking comments directed
towards the new nurse, make it difficult to foster a collaborative or compromising environment. It
appears that personal negative feelings are hindering the ability to work together effectively.

QF-PQM-035 (03.05.2022) Rev.05

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