ANM Communication Strategies & Conflict Resolution 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A staff nurse openly disagrees with the ANM's scheduling decision during a team huddle. What is the most appropriate immediate response?
- Dismiss the concern to maintain authority
- Acknowledge the concern and offer to discuss it privately after the huddle (Correct answer)
- Reprimand the nurse for insubordination
- Change the schedule immediately to avoid conflict
Correct answer: Acknowledge the concern and offer to discuss it privately after the huddle
Acknowledging concerns publicly while redirecting to a private discussion preserves team dynamics and respects the individual.
Question 2: Which communication technique involves restating what a speaker said in your own words to confirm understanding?
- Projection
- Paraphrasing (Correct answer)
- Deflection
- Mirroring
Correct answer: Paraphrasing
Paraphrasing confirms comprehension and signals active listening to the speaker.
Question 3: Two nurses have an ongoing interpersonal conflict that is beginning to affect patient care assignments. The ANM should FIRST:
- Transfer one nurse to another unit immediately
- Meet with each nurse separately to understand each perspective (Correct answer)
- Ignore the conflict and hope it resolves itself
- Involve HR immediately without speaking to either nurse
Correct answer: Meet with each nurse separately to understand each perspective
Individual meetings allow each party to speak freely and give the ANM full context before any intervention.
Question 4: An ANM uses 'I' statements during a difficult conversation with a staff member. What is the PRIMARY purpose of this approach?
- To assert managerial authority
- To avoid personalizing the issue
- To express the ANM's feelings without blaming the other person (Correct answer)
- To document the conversation formally
Correct answer: To express the ANM's feelings without blaming the other person
'I' statements focus on the speaker's experience rather than assigning blame, reducing defensiveness.
Question 5: Which conflict resolution style is MOST appropriate when the issue is critical to patient safety and cannot be compromised?
- Accommodating
- Avoiding
- Competing (Correct answer)
- Compromising
Correct answer: Competing
Competing (asserting one's position firmly) is appropriate when patient safety is a non-negotiable priority.
Question 6: A family member is verbally aggressive with a nurse at the bedside. The ANM should:
- Ask the family member to leave the hospital permanently
- Step in calmly, redirect the conversation, and de-escalate the situation (Correct answer)
- Leave the nurse to handle it independently
- Call security without speaking to the family first
Correct answer: Step in calmly, redirect the conversation, and de-escalate the situation
Calm intervention by the ANM de-escalates tension while protecting the nurse and preserving the family relationship.
Question 7: During interdisciplinary rounds, a physician consistently interrupts nursing staff. The BEST strategy for the ANM is to:
- Stop participating in rounds to avoid conflict
- Address the behavior directly with the physician after rounds using specific examples (Correct answer)
- Report the physician to administration without speaking to them first
- Ask nursing staff to stop attending rounds
Correct answer: Address the behavior directly with the physician after rounds using specific examples
Direct, private, and specific feedback is the most professional and effective first step to address disruptive communication patterns.
ANM Communication Strategies & Conflict Resolution 2
A staff nurse openly disagrees with the ANM's scheduling decision during a team huddle.
What is the most appropriate immediate response?