Dealing With Difficult People
Jackie Jacobsis a charge nurse in a busy intensive care unit. She prides herself on being able to get along well with almost everyone on her team. But when she sees Amanda's name on the evening's work schedule, she braces herself for the inevitable confrontation that will arise when she gives Amanda her patient care assignment.
Amanda has a reputation for being a difficult person. She's also an experienced and competent critical care nurse capable of caring for complex patients. Tonight, Jackie has many new graduates working in the unit. She will need to assign Amanda two challenging patients. She anticipates Amanda will immediately criticize her judgment and complain about her to anyone who will listen throughout her shift.
Charge nurses like Jackie have a unique challenge because they lead teams and manage patients, even though they have little formal power. When all is working well on the unit and with the team, this isn't a problem. But when a staff member, patient, physician, or family member is difficult to keep happy, your role as a charge nurse may become much more challenging. Learning to work with difficult people is both an art and a science.
Introduction
Jackie Jacobsis a charge nurse in a busy intensive care unit. She prides herself on being able to get along well with almost everyone on her team. But when she sees Amanda's name on the evening's work schedule, she braces herself for the inevitable confrontation that will arise when she gives Amanda her patient care assignment.
Amanda has a reputation for being a difficult person. She's also an experienced and competent critical care nurse capable of caring for complex patients. Tonight, Jackie has many new graduates working in the unit. She will need to assign Amanda two challenging patients. She anticipates Amanda will immediately criticize her judgment and complain about her to anyone who will listen throughout her shift.
Charge nurses like Jackie have a unique challenge because they lead teams and manage patients, even though they have little formal power. When all is working well on the unit and with the team, this isn't a problem. But when a staff member, patient, physician, or family member is difficult to keep happy, your role as a charge nurse may become much more challenging. Learning to work with difficult people is both an art and a science.