Read the following case study scenario and compose an essay answering the questions: I Don’t Want To Get Fired, But…

Workplace Incivility: Role of the Nursing Manager

Introduction

Nurses are a critical component of the healthcare system. These professionals provide service at all levels of the hospital beginning from management to patient assistance. Due to the complexity of their duties, nurses require a conducive work environment that guarantees their safety and overall job satisfaction. Therefore, any deviation in best nurse management practices has a significant downstream effect on the hospital, patients, and their relatives. Abuse in any form emanating from people in management will most likely demotivate nurses and possibly lead to turnover intentions. Nursing managers should be on the frontline in the identification and addressing of bullying, abuse, harassment, and other forms of incivility.

Alice's Choices

The first choice that Alice has, in this case, is confronting the administrator about his behavior. While doing so, Alice should apply the nursing standards of ethics to present a compelling case (Buchbinder, Shanks, & Kite, 2019). Standards of practice outline among other things the professional relationship necessary for a conducive work environment. Alice should inform the administrator that being unfriendly to nurses and other healthcare staff is detrimental to their motivation, which may lead to staff turnover and low productivity (Li, Chen, Zhang, Xiao & Lu, 2019).

The second choice at Alice's disposal is reporting the matter to a higher level of administration. The management structure in this hospital combines both service line and functional organization structures (Buchbinder, Shanks, & Kite, 2019). The functional organization structure offers a clear line of communication and reporting, meaning that Alice should not bypass her immediate supervisor to report a matter. However, she has access to Mr. Frank Dobbs due to their informal familiarity. Alice should take advantage of this access to inform Dobbs about the situation at work and how it could affect patient service and organizational profitability.

Implications of Inaction

If Alice does not act promptly, Mr. Steven's mistreatment of employees may have disastrous consequences. Li et al. (2019) cite that workplace violence not only lowers nurse's job satisfaction but also shapes their decision to leave the organization. If Alice does not address the matter with the relevant people, the hospital may lose the much-valued staff to its competitors. When this happens, the remaining staff would find it difficult to offer quality services due to understaffing. Other problems associated with understaffing in the nursing profession include medication errors, burnout, and occupational harm to employees (Glette, Aese, & Wiig, 2017).

Suggestions

When met with a situation like the one Alice is in, I would work with other departmental managers to propose a policy that would end all manner of aggression emanating from senior management officials (Kisner, 2018). Seeking the support of other heads of departments would underscore the seriousness of the matter and encourage the administrator to change his ways. This policy would clearly define what contributes to incivility and how it should be addressed. In addition to this, I would gather everyone who has faced abuse from Mr. Steven for a meeting. The purpose of this meeting would be to encourage them to remain active in their stations while I work towards seeking a solution to this matter.

Conclusion

Nurses work in a hardship environment, meaning that motivation and encouragement are crucial for their service delivery. The case of incivility coming from the facility administrator is demotivating to nurses, nurse aides, and other employees of the hospital. As the nurse manager, Alice Gonzales has the responsibility of addressing this incivility. She can achieve this endeavor through collaborating with other managers and reporting the issue to the facility director. Speaking with the concerned staff will also keep staff motivated while awaiting a final resolution that would end their tribulations in the workplace.