W4-Conflict in the Workplace

Post#1 by Emily Mok- Conflict in the Workplace

Initial Post: When I first became a charge nurse on my unit, I was faced with a conflict that I did not anticipate. It never occurred to me when I accepted the role of Charge Nurse that I would be the go to person when conflict arose with patients and/or families. There was a particular instance when a young man was admitted after having a seizure. He had never had a seizure prior to this and he was admitted for a work up to determine what caused it. He was admitted on a Friday evening and was to have an EEG. This would not be done until Monday and he basically just had to spend the weekend waiting around. At one point, his mother became very upset with the lack of information and lack of communication and began yelling at staff. The physician was called and was less than sympathetic to this mother that her adult son was in this situation. Although he was technically an adult, he was still quite young and relied on his parents for his basic needs. The mother “fired” the physician from her son’s care and requested a different hospitalist consult. The patient’s nurse approached me regarding the situation. At this point, the mother was being disruptive to the other patients as well by standing in the hallway and yelling at anyone who would passed. I approached the mother and simply allowed her to vent her frustrations over the process and the lack of information and communication she had. When the opportunity was right, I acknowledged her frustrations and her concern as a mother. By validating her feelings, I was able to diffuse the situation. I remember telling her that I also have a son, who was 4 at the time, and it didn’t matter if your child was 4 or 104, you are always their mother. I told her that I appreciated her ability to advocate for her son and said that I could not make promises but I would do what I could to help move the process along in a more timely manner. I contacted my supervisor and explained the situation. The supervisor was able to have the on-call EEG tech come in the next morning to perform his test. I was happy to help and to ease the situation but I also had an internal conflict with this. I felt that by making these accommodations we were sending a message that if you just yell loud enough, you can get what you want. And what about the patients who are not able to speak up or do not have an advocate? They still have to wait the time to get the care that they equally deserve. This mother was threatening to have her son sign out against medical advice and take him to a different hospital. I felt that it essentially came down to money. While I was able to resolve this external conflict, I still have to deal with these internal conflicts that arise due to the red tape and/or fiscal restrictions that are placed on the care that we provide. It is frustrating. And as a future FNP, I will be able to advocate for the patients that do not have people there for them or are unable to do so themselves. As a respected and now empowered member of the healthcare team, I will be able to go head-to-head with insurance companies and different hospital departments to make sure that my patients are receiving what they need when they need it.