COMMUNICATION: New Graduate Nurse

Communication: New Graduate Nurse

Scenario: Michael Wong, RN, BSN, graduated from nursing school 6 months ago and has
been working as a staff nurse at a busy outpatient urgent care center since that time. He is finally
feeling more confident in his role and realizes that he is making a difference in the quality of
nursing care provided at the center because of his focus on patient education. However, Michael
still has to ask the other nurses for assistance with performing some procedures that are not
routinely performed in the center, which is somewhat uncomfortable for him because he has
heard comments from other staff nurses belittling his baccalaureate nursing education. One day,
when he asks one of the more experienced, associate degree nurses to help with a procedure he
has not performed before, she responds, Don't they teach you anything in nursing school or are
you just lazy?
How should Michael respond to the other nurse?
Michael should respond by explaining the situation from my perspective to the
experienced nurse, and possibly reframe it for her: In nursing school, they taught me that patient
safety is always my priority. I have learned this procedure but I dont have the experience or
confidence to perform it independently yet. I want to learn and would really appreciate it if you
helped me.
Describe techniques for dealing with verbal conflict that Michael should use.
Timmins (2011) describes conflict resolution from a managers perspective, but the
communication skills in this article are applicable for nurse-nurse conflicts. The first step a
nurse should take in any situation is assess. In this case, Michael should assess the situation by
identifying the conflict. He can gather more information by asking the ADN nurse. She might
say that he is wasting her time (and that of the other nurses) by having to teach him. The next

COMMUNICATION: New Graduate Nurse

step is for Michael to know his response to conflict, by past self-reflection. He should identify
healthy habits like being assertive and also unhealthy habits like withdrawing or becoming angry
or defensive. By knowing his response, Michael will know how to control his emotions and
behavior during conflict. He should also listen empathetically to the ADN nurse. This gives the
nurse an opportunity to express her feelings about Michael asking for help all the time. The
nurse may not even be upset that Michael is asking for help; she may be upset that he waits till
the last minute before asking for help, leaving her with little time to complete her tasks. The
next step is to explore options. For Michael, his options are to ask for help or perform a
procedure uncomfortably on his own. He should express his concerns to the nurse so she
understands his perspective.
What positive communication techniques can Michael use to help improve the relationship
with the associate degree nurse?
Throughout all this, Michael should remain assertive, which is the healthiest form of
communication (Cherry & Jacob, 2014). Being assertive is proactive; he gets his point across
without hurting the nurses feelings in the process. This is different from aggressive, passive and
passive-aggressive, which all are unhealthy forms of communication because someone in
conflict get hurt. An important skill for interpersonal relationships is active listening. This
connects thoughts and feelings and builds a connection between people. Active listening builds
good communication, while poor communication gives rise to conflict. Communication on a
unit can build a strong healthcare team. When communication is good, it can prevent conflicts
and help nurses better manage their relationships (Nicotera, Mahon & Wright, 2014).

COMMUNICATION: New Graduate Nurse

Note your use of positive communication techniques and negative communication techniques.
Write a brief summary of your most used positive and negative communication techniques.
One of my positive communication techniques is to keep a calm tone of voice. This helps
to deescalate the situation. I use active listening to try and understand the other persons
perspective. I also establish eye contact, express empathy and use open communication. My
negative communication techniques are hasty generalizations. I always try to simplify things
(sometimes too much) and that can make a situation worse. Sometimes I get defensive and use
you statements when I know I should use I statements instead.
Make a list of the negative messages you most frequently hear yourself sending or feel
yourself sending through body language. Reflect on how these affect the ways in which you
view your world. Assess how these messages affect your daily communications. What
actions are you planning to take to change the negative communication style?
My negative communication happens more when I am really upset or tired. Sometimes I
do not want to deal with a situation right away and use passive-aggressive communication. To
me, it is the easiest way to find immediate relief from the situation and still express my anger. I
know this is not healthy to deal with my issue so I am trying to incorporate being assertive into
my everyday communication. I think being assertive is good in other forms of communication
and is not limited to conflict. Assertion is good because I can communicate what I need without
violating someone elses rights; its a win-win. This requires self-confidence, which I am
working on as well.

COMMUNICATION: New Graduate Nurse

References
Cherry, B. & Jacob, S. (2014). Effective Delegation and Supervision. In Contemporary
Nursing: Issues, Trends, & Management. (6th ed.). St. Louis, Missouri: Elsevier.
Nicotera, A. M., Mahon, M. M., & Wright, K. B. (2014). Communication that Builds Teams:
Assessing a Nursing Conflict Intervention. Nursing Administration Quarterly, 38(3), 248260. doi:10.1097/NAQ.0000000000000033
Timmins, F. (2011). Managers' Duty to Maintain Good Workplace Communications Skills.
Nursing Management - UK, 18(3), 30-34 5p.