Negotiation. A skill for nurses.

Abstract

As cutbacks and health care reform bring changes to nurses' roles and health care structures, conflict almost invariably arises. Clashes stem from unclear expectations about new roles, poor communication between management and staff, a lack of clear jurisdiction over changing responsibilities, personal differences in approaches to nursing and conflicting interests as different departments struggle to maintain their share of the health care dollar. The friction could be at the individual or the group level; it might exist between shifts of nurses, between nurses and their managers, or between nurse managers and other administration. In all cases, you, the nurse, are the one who must deal with it.