ATD Blog
Mediation Training Helps Healthcare Pros Resolve Conflict
Thu Aug 09 2018
Content
Healthcare professionals experience a level of on-the-job pressure that is second to none. No matter if we’re working in a hospital, lab, or pharmaceutical or insurance company, we see employees and management continuously striving to meet patients’ immediate and long-term needs. These caregivers sometimes focus so closely on their clients’ acute issues that they don’t have the challenging conversations they need to cope with their own chronic concerns.
Healthcare professionals experience a level of on-the-job pressure that is second to none. No matter if we’re working in a hospital, lab, or pharmaceutical or insurance company, we see employees and management continuously striving to meet patients’ immediate and long-term needs. These caregivers sometimes focus so closely on their clients’ acute issues that they don’t have the challenging conversations they need to cope with their own chronic concerns.
Conflict in Care
Content
Is the healthcare industry any more vulnerable to conflict than others? The daily pressure is obviously intense: Caregivers have to deal with emergencies, matters of life and death, long hours, irregular schedules, changing processes, multiple agencies, stringent rules and regulations, and seemingly ever-tighter budgets.
Is the healthcare industry any more vulnerable to conflict than others? The daily pressure is obviously intense: Caregivers have to deal with emergencies, matters of life and death, long hours, irregular schedules, changing processes, multiple agencies, stringent rules and regulations, and seemingly ever-tighter budgets.
Content
These professionals may well have an urgent need to talk about a difference of opinion, give feedback, or discuss any undercurrents, but they just don’t have the time, or the opportunity, to do so at the end of a long shift. Plus, there are supplementary factors in the healthcare arena that can make it even more difficult to create the open environment needed to make these uncomfortable conversations effective and productive, such as:
These professionals may well have an urgent need to talk about a difference of opinion, give feedback, or discuss any undercurrents, but they just don’t have the time, or the opportunity, to do so at the end of a long shift. Plus, there are supplementary factors in the healthcare arena that can make it even more difficult to create the open environment needed to make these uncomfortable conversations effective and productive, such as:
Content
rigid institutional hierarchies
rigid institutional hierarchies
Content
emotional demands
emotional demands
Content
managers who are assigned positions without the proper leadership training
managers who are assigned positions without the proper leadership training
Content
caregivers’ need for acknowledgement
caregivers’ need for acknowledgement
Content
physical and mental stress versus personal well-being
physical and mental stress versus personal well-being
Content
the need to constantly prioritize procedures, processes, and people.
the need to constantly prioritize procedures, processes, and people.
Content
All of these factors can make effective communication about differences of opinion a delicate operation.
All of these factors can make effective communication about differences of opinion a delicate operation.
Managers Can Help Promote New Ways to Treat Conflicts
Content
Managers can look at conflicts as an opportunity to put things back together better than they were. If treated correctly and in a timely manner, most conflicts can serve as a wake-up call and improve the overall health of a team, individual, and organization.
Managers can look at conflicts as an opportunity to put things back together better than they were. If treated correctly and in a timely manner, most conflicts can serve as a wake-up call and improve the overall health of a team, individual, and organization.
Content
As a manager, you may feel you do not have the time or the skills to help employees speak about their issues with each other and agree on suitable and sustainable solutions. The good news is, there is help at hand—conflict resolution competencies can be taught and learned just like any other skill.
As a manager, you may feel you do not have the time or the skills to help employees speak about their issues with each other and agree on suitable and sustainable solutions. The good news is, there is help at hand—conflict resolution competencies can be taught and learned just like any other skill.
Content
And just like so many other things in life, prevention is better than cure. Proactively planning an approach for when , not if , conflicts arise means you can guarantee things will “get well soon.”
And just like so many other things in life, prevention is better than cure. Proactively planning an approach for when, not if, conflicts arise means you can guarantee things will “get well soon.”
Mediation Training Will Help
Content
Mediation training teaches managers and healthcare professionals the skills they need to conduct a potentially confrontational conversation effectively. They learn to encourage open dialogue about tricky topics and establish a course of action to remedy the situation.
Mediation training teaches managers and healthcare professionals the skills they need to conduct a potentially confrontational conversation effectively. They learn to encourage open dialogue about tricky topics and establish a course of action to remedy the situation.
Content
Mediation for medical and healthcare professionals is an established process which helps to analyze the problem, examine the underlying concern, and discover which issues are symptomatic and which are causal. This provides the framework for people to arrive at a sustainable solution.
Mediation for medical and healthcare professionals is an established process which helps to analyze the problem, examine the underlying concern, and discover which issues are symptomatic and which are causal. This provides the framework for people to arrive at a sustainable solution.
Mediation Methodology
Content
Mediation training will teach you how to recognize and practice for those cases when you need to address conflicts in your team and your working environment by:
Mediation training will teach you how to recognize and practice for those cases when you need to address conflicts in your team and your working environment by:
Content
listening to what is not being said and asking further
listening to what is not being said and asking further
Content
halting the firefighting and taking time for reflection
halting the firefighting and taking time for reflection
Content
building in evaluation moments
building in evaluation moments
Content
walking the talk
walking the talk
Content
helping your team members find mutual interests and common goals
helping your team members find mutual interests and common goals
Content
teaching your team how to conduct important conversations in a neutral, impartial, and empathic way
teaching your team how to conduct important conversations in a neutral, impartial, and empathic way
Content
helping your team to become more forgiving of their colleagues and themselves.
helping your team to become more forgiving of their colleagues and themselves.
Content
Recognize that a good talk can look past the symptoms, diagnose the real cause, and come up with a prescription for long-term communication.
Recognize that a good talk can look past the symptoms, diagnose the real cause, and come up with a prescription for long-term communication.
Content
Want to learn more? Join me September 14 for the webcast: Mediation Training: How to Make Communication Better for Healthcare Professionals .
Want to learn more? Join me September 14 for the webcast: Mediation Training: How to Make Communication Better for Healthcare Professionals.