Strategies for Communication with Nursing Staff and Solving Discord

Question

CASE STUDY

The three hospital in the city of Manfred merged into one large health center two years ago under the direction of CEO Kevin Smith. There was much resistance to the amalgamation and to the new organizational structure of program management. However, the change completed on schedule Mark Parker was pleased to be appointed manager of two units called the chronic care unit and the rehabilitation unit. Staff on these two new units came each of the three previous sites. On these units, Mark introduced primary care nursing as a new approach to providing client care from the previous model of total patient care. There were only a few staff members who were reluctant to abandon a total patient care approach to client care. At the present time each of the chronic care and the rehabilitation units haves their own dedicated nurses, physiotherapists, social workers, and pharmacy staff but Mark plans to eventually have them cross-trained to work in both units. Elizabeth Hughes is the program director of medical services, and Mark’s immediate administrator. She recently approached Mark with the idea of converting four of the unused beds on the 66 bed chronic care unit to establish a small palliative care unit. Elizabeth has already gained the support of her boss, Danielle Byers, the vice president of patient services, who in turn has received endorsement for the project from the rest of the administrative team.

1. Describe five (5) ways in which primary nursing differs from total patient care. In light of these differences, justify why primary nursing is a better approach to client care for the clients in Mark’s two units.
2. Mark wants to communicate the news about the new palliative care unit to his staff before it becomes known through the grapevine, which he suspects may have already happened. Apply communication strategies discussed in this course to explain how Mark can best communicate this information to his staff both verbally to those who are present and memo for those who are absent at the time of the announcement.
3. Using a change theory to guide your thinking, describe the steps and the strategies that Mark should take in planning the change related to cross-training staff to both units. Hint: what organizational and interpersonal resources could he use to promote this change?
4. Discuss six (6) budgetary considerations Mark needs to address related to the new four bed palliative care unit.
5. There are some nurses who are opposed to changing the delivery system for providing nursing care from total patient care primary nursing. How can these nurses use politics to influence this policy.
6. Adding to Mark’s workload is the increasing discord between the two senior registered nurses, Cathy Black and Barb Evans, who often are assigned to work as charge nurses in the two units. Clients and their families, physicians, and staff have begun to align with one or the other of these two nurses resulting in compromised client care and a tense working environment.

• List and explain two (2) types of power that each of these two nurses might be exerting.
• Apply the basic rules on how to mediate a conflict to describe how Mark can address this problem.

Summary

This question belongs to nursing and discusses about three hospitals in the city of Manfred merged into one large health centre.

Word count: 1014