A licensed practical/vocational nurse (LP/VN) is frustrated with a physician who consistently yells at her while the nurse is in the client's room to drop everything and gather supplies, so he can perform a sterile procedure

Question

Which is the best possible next action for the nurse to take to handle this conflict?
A) Yell back at the physician that she is busy and for the physician to get the supplies on his own
B) Calmly in front of the physician ask the unlicensed assistive personnel (UAP) to get the items the physician wants
C) Assertively confront the physician in private regarding his behavior and seek a resolution to the matter
D) Report the physician's inconsiderate actions to the nurse manager and ask him to deal with the issue

Answer 1

Ans: C
Feedback:
The nurse wanting to resolve the conflict should meet privately with the physician and calmly and assertively confront the physician with his behaviors and seek a resolution to the situation. When a nurse is confronted with an angry aggressive individual using a calm voice in an assertive manner will help diffuse the other person's anger. The nurse should not yell back at the physician because the client should not have to witness two healthcare professionals aggressively yelling at each other. The nurse should not ask the UAP to get items in front of the physcian because it does not address the conflict of open aggression to the nurse in front of a client; it is a passive action from a busy LP/VN delegating the gathering of supplies to the UAP. The nurse should not report the physician's inconsiderate actions because the nurse manager did not witness the event, has no vested interest in the conflict, and may not resolve the issue so both the nurse and physician may work together professionally.