The conflict that I had in my nursing practice that stands out to me was when I had an issue with a patient care technician (PCT) that was refusing to take a patient’s blood sugar levels. This occurred when I was busy preparing another patient to be sent down to have surgery. I informed the PCT that the patient blood sugar needed to be taken because they would be getting their insulin shortly but she stated that she was not going to do it because she was busy. The stakeholders involved in this situation was the PCT, the patient, and myself. The main stakeholder was the patient because if the situation wasn’t resolve it could have adverse effects on their care that could lead up to death.
The way that the conflict was resolved was that I pulled the PCT away from everyone including the patient area and had a discussion of why she was refusing the task so that we could resolve it collaboratively. “The collaborating style, which satisfies the concerns of both parties, is considered the optimal solution and is also recommended by Thomas and Kilmann (Benke, M 2023).” She was explaining that she was busy due to the heavy work load assignment that she was given. I informed her that we all are busy and have a heavy workload but if we work as a team that we would be able to get the task done and provide great care to our patients. Informed her that it is important to get the patients blood sugar levels because it is vital for his care and if not done can have an adverse effect that could possible lead to death and how would she feel if it was her family member and someone was treating them how she was currently doing. I was able to collaborate with her that once I was able to get all my patients situated that later in the day I would decrease her workload by helping her with vitals checks. She was able to think about it and then decided to perform the blood sugar checks.
The efficacy of the resolution in my opinion was successful because we were able to collaborate and get a positive outcome for the patient. I believe that the collaborative conflict resolution style was the most appropriate option to get the optimal results in that particular situation. We were able to work together and collaborate for the greater good of the patient. It was successful because she was able to hear the reason and the why we were doing what we were doing and it also took into consideration what she was going through and not dismissing her feelings.
My preferred mode of conflict resolution is either collaboration or compromising. “As for the strategy of “compromising,” the individual neglects his self-interest to satisfy the other party’s anxiety, resulting in the situation’s characterization as obedience and compliance with the requests of the opposite party (Basaran, A 2024).” This is preferred because all parties involved voice is hear and none feels like they were dominated into doing what the other party wants to do which leads to a more positive interaction and ultimately a more positive work environment.
