C
onflict occurs in everyone’s normal, day-to-day life. As a society evolves, options increase, and as more and more people try to do more and more things, conflict becomes more and more common (but usually less and less debilitating.)
Sometimes conflict is not even noticed, because we all develop conscious and unconscious routines for dealing with it as soon as it appears. But these routines, particularly those we haven’t really noticed becoming part of our make-up, are usually part of a social context. This context is broken when a Travel Nurse goes on assignment. When the usual automatic defenses are no longer available, the Travel Nurse becomes more vulnerable, and conflict can have a more devastating effect.
The seeds of conflict have crept into the image people in general, and home-based nurses in particular, have formed of the Travel Nurse profession. A popular notion is that a Travel Nurse is only in it for the money; ergo, the Travel Nurse probably doesn’t really care about the patients, especially those involved in long-term treatment (which may extend beyond the Travel Nurse’s employment term.) It’s a blatant misconception, fostered in part by our long pattern of distrust for the interloper. But it will take many more years of demonstrating its untruth before it will be modified, and in the meantime the Travel Nurse simply must deal with it.
So there are two forces at work to exacerbate conflict for the Travel Nurse: the diminishing of familiar defenses, on one hand, and the skeptical opinion reserved for any stranger, on the other. Luckily, the Travel Nurse’s basic training provides a good basis for dealing with this increased conflict: unless one is faced with a life-or-death situation that requires immediate intervention, follow the established procedures.
Let’s take a look at the types of conflict a Travel Nurse might encounter. There is conflict with the new system, and conflict with individuals. Conflict with individuals can arise from a clash of personal attitudes or preferences for using different styles for personal interaction. A Travel Nurse, like anyone else, can encounter unexplained animosity over something as subtle as a mistaken interpretation of a casual glance. In a situation like this, go right to the source of tension and humbly explain what you really meant.
A Travel Nurse trying to grasp the nuances of a system already familiar to the staff nurses usually has a more serious demeanor, which may lead to teasing and practical jokes. Don’t overreact; taking ribbing is a good way to bond. The arrival of a stranger may engender the eruption of juvenile competitions. Always remain professional. Be understanding; try to see yourself through their eyes.
Here are some general rules to keep in mind:
- First, be aware that your being a Travel Nurse is likely to put you in a situation of increased conflict.
- Know also that you are more vulnerable to emotional hurt when you are deprived of your usual support system.
- Realize that you do not have your familiar power base at your disposal in your new assignment, so novel strategies for dealing with conflict have to be learned and adopted.
- Understand the limits of your position, and measure any response you consider making against the likely effect in your new circumstances.
- There are acceptable and unacceptable methods for resolving conflict. The behavior of all nurses, but particularly Travel Nurses, is under a microscope. Doctors, staff nurses, and administrators (who may or may not try to extend a given Travel Nurse’s contract) are very concerned with how the new hire will react under a variety of conditions. A nurse essentially has no free time, but is caught in a sequence of expected behaviors that must not be delayed. So there is no time or opportunity to immediately confront an attitude that a Travel Nurse feels has arisen from a mistaken attitude. But sometimes something can be accomplished during a break, or before or after starting the shift.
One of the rewards of Travel Nursing is the exposure to alternative methods for performing each aspect of a nurse’s duties. Every so often you’ll see a procedure being used that strikes you as less valuable than the one you learned. What should you do?
- Unless you believe it is a matter of life-or-death, don’t challenge the procedure during the operation. Remember, this procedure has been approved and considered viable. There’s always a chance you don’t understand all the factors—some of which may have been in play before your arrival.
- Take up the matter with the person using the procedure afterwards. Do your utmost not to offend. Adopt the attitude that you see there might be a way to improve on something you were taught, and you’d just like to know more about the procedure in question, its origin and efficacy.
- Investigate the proper channels for questioning a procedure, and follow them. Every hospital and clinic wants to continuously evaluate the way they perform in order to improve. If you choose to meet with someone from this department, don’t criticize the person using the questioned procedure; once again, try not to offend. Think through what you might say beforehand; make sure it contains no personal invective.
- If you decide to submit a written report, read it twice before submitting it, and always keep a copy. You might sign your comments, or you might not; if you do, you might request to be informed about any response. If you deem the response unsatisfactory, think it through before submitting your complaint to a state or federal oversight agency.
- You might wait to submit your report until after your term expires. But remember, bottling up your feelings can lead to unexpected problems, so keeping a personal journal of your ongoing experiences can be very important for maintaining your equilibrium. Usually your journal will be left in your apartment when you go to work, but whenever you get worked up over something, jot down at least a few notes at the first opportunity, and after your shift transfer and expand your notes in your journal. As your departure time approaches, read through your journal in order to summarize your experience. You might deliver a copy of a summary of your experience to the administration, for them to use however they choose (including to help make it easier for the next Travel Nurse), but its most important function is to help you evaluate your life and career and make the best decisions possible as you move forward.
If conflict ever reaches the point where it threatens to overwhelm you, it may help to remind yourself that soon you’ll be moving on, and those with whom you’ve been in conflict will remain, like vipers in a pit, waiting to infect a new victim with their venom.
