ANM Conflict Resolution and Communication 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: The Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument identifies five conflict-handling styles. Which style involves low assertiveness and high cooperativeness?
- Competing
- Avoiding
- Accommodating (Correct answer)
- Collaborating
Correct answer: Accommodating
Accommodating involves yielding to the other party's concerns while downplaying one's own, reflecting high cooperation and low assertiveness.
Question 2: A new graduate nurse is reluctant to speak up when she disagrees with a senior nurse's clinical decision. The ANM should address this by:
- Telling the new nurse to trust senior staff until she gains experience
- Encouraging use of structured communication tools like SBAR to voice concerns safely (Correct answer)
- Reassigning the new nurse to work independently to build confidence
- Documenting the new nurse's passivity as a performance issue
Correct answer: Encouraging use of structured communication tools like SBAR to voice concerns safely
Structured tools like SBAR create a safe, accepted framework for all staff to raise clinical concerns regardless of seniority.
Question 3: Which of the following is a primary cause of communication breakdown in nursing units during high-census periods?
- Overuse of formal documentation
- Reliance on verbal handoffs without structured tools (Correct answer)
- Excessive use of electronic health records
- Too many interdisciplinary team meetings
Correct answer: Reliance on verbal handoffs without structured tools
Unstructured verbal handoffs during busy periods increase the risk of critical information being omitted or misunderstood.
Question 4: An ANM observes a staff member using a passive-aggressive communication style. A characteristic behavior of this style is:
- Directly expressing disagreement in team meetings
- Agreeing verbally but deliberately failing to follow through on tasks (Correct answer)
- Raising concerns through the formal grievance process
- Immediately escalating all conflicts to administration
Correct answer: Agreeing verbally but deliberately failing to follow through on tasks
Passive-aggressive behavior involves indirect expressions of hostility, such as verbal compliance combined with deliberate non-compliance in action.
Question 5: When negotiating a schedule change requested by a staff nurse, the ANM should use which negotiation principle to achieve a win-win outcome?
- Positional bargaining focused on unit needs only
- Interest-based negotiation that explores the underlying needs of both parties (Correct answer)
- Compromise where both parties give up equal amounts
- Avoidance until the request is formally submitted in writing
Correct answer: Interest-based negotiation that explores the underlying needs of both parties
Interest-based negotiation uncovers the underlying motivations of both parties, enabling creative solutions that meet core needs.
Question 6: A staff nurse files a formal grievance against a peer. As ANM, your first procedural step should be to:
- Immediately suspend the accused nurse pending investigation
- Review the organization's grievance policy and follow the defined process (Correct answer)
- Mediate informally between the two nurses before documentation
- Escalate directly to HR without speaking to either party
Correct answer: Review the organization's grievance policy and follow the defined process
Following the organization's established grievance policy ensures due process, consistency, and legal compliance.
Question 7: During a conflict mediation session, one nurse becomes emotionally escalated and raises her voice. The ANM's best response is to:
- Match the nurse's energy to demonstrate empathy
- Adjourn the meeting, allow time to de-escalate, and reschedule (Correct answer)
- Immediately document the outburst as a disciplinary incident
- Ask the other nurse to respond while tensions are high to resolve it quickly
Correct answer: Adjourn the meeting, allow time to de-escalate, and reschedule
Adjourning allows emotional de-escalation, which is necessary for rational problem-solving and productive dialogue to resume.
ANM Conflict Resolution and Communication 3
The Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument identifies five conflict-handling styles.
Which style involves low assertiveness and high cooperativeness?