XC4001 Assignment Interprofessional Communication for Practice Change

Interdisciplinary Team Communication Scenario

Directions: Read the following scenario and then answer the questions about the scenario.

On the day shift, nursing students from a local community college take care of patients on the medical-surgical unit known as 3 North. Mrs Walden, the nursing instructor, tells Anna, her nursing student, to go to the nurses’ station to get an educational pamphlet for a patient being discharged. At the nurses’ station, Anna overhears the following exchange between Joseph from respiratory therapy and registered nurse Lynn. They are both speaking at the nurses’ station, and co-workers and patients will hear them.

Lynn: I’m sorry, I have to talk to Dr Carr about the patient in 302. I don’t like calling Dr Carr. He asks me too many questions; I don’t have the time for this! He becomes angry with me if I don’t know the answer.

Joseph: I hear you. He is difficult. Better you than me.

Lynn: He’d better just get over it and give me what I need for this patient. I wouldn’t have him care for me or my family.

Joseph: Yeah, he thinks he knows it all.

Anna: He’d better just get over it and give me what I need for this patient. I wouldn’t have him take care of me and my family.

The 3 North nurse manager, Jane, enters and sees Anna at the nurses’ station. The 3 North nurse manager, Jane, enters and sees Anna at the nurses’ station. She says: Hi Anna. So good to see you. I just saw your dad, Dr Carr. He was boasting of the euphemism of going to school to be a nurse. Have you been on the unit with him?

Anna: But I believe that the nurse needs to call him concerning a patient. Mrs Jane, will you come into my office and chat for a minute?

Respond to the following questions.

1. When Joseph and Lynn were discussing Dr. Carr, what concerns did you identify about how they handled the situation?

But I believe that the nurse needs to call him concerning a patient. Mrs Jane, will you come into my office and chat for a minute?.

2. How does their communication pattern impact team collaboration, communication, and civility among team members?

The pattern of communication between Joseph and Lynn harms cooperation in the team, communication, and civility. They further propagate an air of division and disrespect by expressing their frustrations publicly. Members of other groups, and particularly those listening to the discussion, might feel detached and feel an urge to take sides, further dampening teamwork (Belenchia, 2023). Such remarks may also influence the readiness of others to converse openly and with regard, since they now believe Dr. Carr is the target of disparaging remarks. In a place of health care setting, civility is paramount in providing care, and this discussion threatens the process as it creates a negative and unprofessional environment. When such behavior becomes the norm, it may result in a communication breakdown, as members of the team will not want to have awkward conversations, and patient care may suffer as a result of unresolved interpersonal issues.

3. How should Lynn address her concerns instead?

Lynn must deal with her emotions towards Dr. Carr in a professional and healthy fashion. Lynn should just go over her frustrations with steam and discuss these one-on-one with Dr. Carr. I would like her to use I statements to focus on her feelings, such as I feel overwhelmed when I don’t have all the information on what Dr. Carr wants presented and it would be helpful to streamline our communication process. As an alternative, changing the discussion subject nearer to solving the issues, Lynn would stand a better chance of inducing a rather fruitful discussion than confrontation. If it is not feasible to speak to Dr Carr directly, Lynn should speak to a supervisor or mentor for advice about how to handle the issue professionally without exacerbating the misunderstanding (Barnhoorn et al., 2022).

4. Did Anna handle her response appropriately? Why or why not?

To say the least, Anna’s response to the conversation in question was desired, as she turned the tide of the conversation to the business at hand rather than participate in the negative conversation. She defused the tension by asking questions in a calm and non-accusatory manner about the educational pamphlets; her professionalism and her interest in completing her clinical work were effective in defusing the tension (Larance et al., 2025). Also, how she treated Mrs Jane in her office was respectful because she was not part of the negative discussion. Although in this case, Anna could have dealt with it more directly by speaking up and respectfully at the time, how she responded was diplomatic, as she was professional, and her response did not escalate the conflict.