Conflict Resolution

Many of our preceptors report excellent relationships with the students active in their practice. Occasionally, a student may bring the conflict to the workplace, necessitating your involvement in facilitating effective, productive conflict resolution. When conflict is ignored, problems can spiral out of control. When conflict is resolved efficiently and effectively, the entire practice benefits.

Types of Conflicts

As a preceptor, you will most likely deal with two types of conflict: interpersonal and organizational conflict. Interpersonal conflict is a conflict between two or more persons; organizational conflict is a disagreement with policies, procedures, codes of conduct or behavioral norms.

Interpersonal Conflict

When people work together, the opportunity for conflict naturally arises. For example, a staff member may consider a hesitant student to be a nuisance instead of an asset or may resent the attitude of an overconfident student. A student may assert him or herself in an inappropriate way or in a manner that threatens the authority of a staff member. These are all commonly observed examples of interpersonal conflict.

Interpersonal conflict can happen between any two or more people in a clinic: patient and family, nurse and nurse manager, physician and student, etc.

Organizational Conflict

You may find that a student at your clinic does not agree with or respect certain policies, procedures or codes of conduct. Such a student may skip writing SOAP notes, arrive at the clinic late or speak in an unprofessional manner. This organizational conflict will usually spill over into interpersonal conflict as you attempt to persuade the student to conform to expectations.

Resolve Conflict Proactively

Resolve conflict directly in a professional and considerate manner. Facilitate conflict resolution by taking the following steps:

• Contact the student’s faculty member to alert him or her of the situation and solicit assistance if needed.
• Engage in dialogue with the parties involved, first individually, and then together, maintaining a professional and objective tone.
• Identify and articulate shared goals, and try to help both parties see the benefits of working together harmoniously and productively.
• Coach both parties through mutual understanding and, if necessary, compromise.
• Recognize potential conflicts before they arise, and engage in preventative discussions and setting of boundaries and expectations.
• Provide training and education on expectations for communication, roles, and responsibilities in the clinic and approved ways to express and resolve conflict for the future.

Sometimes it is helpful to have someone objectively facilitate the conversation. If this is the case, request assistance from the student’s faculty member.

Conflict Resolution: A Worthwhile Effort

By professionally addressing conflict, you will improve clinic morale and productivity of staff. This will improve the learning experience for the student, making for a smoother student-preceptor relationship overall.