The first several years of practice are very important to help in building confidence for nurses; however, many new nurses encounter the same situation than Natalie did and are subjected to a different range of unprofessional behaviors from coworkers that weaken their confidence and self-esteem. These kind of behaviors can raise the nurses’ stress and frustration, increase the occurrence of medical errors, and jeopardize patient safety and quality of care. Pervasiveness of conflict in the nursing workforce between experienced nurses and new graduates is something that we experience in most of our organizations. In Natalie’s case her two coworkers are struggling for power and feel threatened by her advanced degree; which is creating conflicts
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Habermas argued that liberation from power could be only possible through communication because communication allows people to understand and agree with each other in order to bring up change (McEwen, 2014, p. 292). Even though Natalie’s teacher said everything was normal and will get better as she learns more; Natalie still needs to communicate with her manager and make her aware of all her issues. The manager has the responsibility to intervene and act as a mediator between the parties in order to reach a solution and have a healthy work environment. Nurse Managers must not ignore episodes like the one Natalie was experiencing and should offer support to nurses who are having issues at …show more content…
Social exchange theory offers valuable insight explaining how nurse-work relationships provide social support in ways that decrease stress and enhance coping. In this case Natalie was able to use knowledge from her past education and changed her approach by starting to praise more her coworkers and remaining humble hoping things will change. Natalie reminded her coworkers that she was still a new nurse and was appreciative of having knowledgeable nurses like them to learn from. By doing this Natalie applied the individualistic perspective; which considers that individuals actively shape their social lives and affect their own lives by adapting to, negotiating with, and changing social structures (McEwen, 2014, p.
Habermas argued that liberation from power could be only possible through communication because communication allows people to understand and agree with each other in order to bring up change (McEwen, 2014, p. 292). Even though Natalie’s teacher said everything was normal and will get better as she learns more; Natalie still needs to communicate with her manager and make her aware of all her issues. The manager has the responsibility to intervene and act as a mediator between the parties in order to reach a solution and have a healthy work environment. Nurse Managers must not ignore episodes like the one Natalie was experiencing and should offer support to nurses who are having issues at …show more content…
Social exchange theory offers valuable insight explaining how nurse-work relationships provide social support in ways that decrease stress and enhance coping. In this case Natalie was able to use knowledge from her past education and changed her approach by starting to praise more her coworkers and remaining humble hoping things will change. Natalie reminded her coworkers that she was still a new nurse and was appreciative of having knowledgeable nurses like them to learn from. By doing this Natalie applied the individualistic perspective; which considers that individuals actively shape their social lives and affect their own lives by adapting to, negotiating with, and changing social structures (McEwen, 2014, p.