The Alignment between the values of an organization and those of a nurse usually has an important impact on not only the engagement of the nurse but also on the patient outcomes. Where a strong alignment exists, nurses usually experience a higher sense of job satisfaction. Also, the nurses tend to become more committed towards the organizational course (Bamford, Wong & Laschinger, 2013). Further, an excellent level of value alignment facilitates the elimination of turnover behaviors including tardiness and absenteeism. Besides, as it was revealed by Bamford, Wong, and Laschinger (2013), value alignment leads to a motivation for superior performance. All these outcomes relate to a higher nurse engagement. A better nurse engagement promotes desirable patient outcomes. It is expected that engaged nurses will strive to deliver optimal quality care. Also, they will be keen in their nursing operations, a thing that guarantees improved patient safety. Patient safety implies that such occurrences as medical errors are eliminated completely, or at least mitigated (Biggs, Brough & Barbour, 2014). Also, engagement among nurses facilitates a fast recovery among the patients, which necessarily means reduced hospital stays.
Effective communication techniques play a critical role in overcoming workplace challenges, raises the urge to collaborate across groups, and promote effective problem-solving tendencies. Take an instance of overcoming workplace challenges. A good example of such challenges is bullying. To solve such an issue, it requires nurses to maintain a positive attitude, stay optimistic, cheerful and respond in a positive manner, to try to resolve the underlying conflict and to troubleshoot and resolve the issue (Cherry & Jacob, 2015). Also, nurses are supposed to use the listening skills not only to hear but also to understand the bully along with the victim, encourage and facilitate the victim and the bully to talk to each other and empathize. To promote a culture of collaboration among groups, effective communication techniques involves ensuring that there are clear lines of communication, having an adequate understanding of how he/she should express their ideas, grievances, and suggestions, and communicating goals to each person involved, in a precise manner (Wood, 2015). For the case of problem solving, appropriate communication entails identifying the underlying issues, understanding each person’s interests, paying attention to the possible options or solutions, and evaluating the options (Keyton et al., 2013). Also, it necessitates the documentation of the agreements, including any consensus on the contingencies, and the provision and reception of feedback (Hicks, 2015).
At some point in time, a patient was admitted to our care facility with a terminal illness. Our physician, upon assessment, found out that he would not survive. The care facility’s code identified that it was upon the duty of the workers to give hope to all patients. A family member approached me, asking whether their patient would make it. I lied to him that he would. However, II felt guilty as I had always sought for integrity at all times. It was apparent that my personal values had been crossed. After this incidence, my motivation to work declined tremendously. I even wished not to work anymore. The patient’s family developed a negative attitude towards our facility and the individual workers.
References
Bamford, M., Wong, C. A., & Laschinger, H. (2013). The influence of authentic leadership and areas of worklife on work engagement of registered nurses. Journal of nursing management, 21(3), 529-540.
Biggs, A., Brough, P., & Barbour, J. P. (2014). Strategic alignment with organizational priorities and work engagement: A multi‐wave analysis. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 35(3), 301-317.
Cherry, B., & Jacob, S. R. (2015). Contemporary nursing: Issues, trends, & management. Sydney: Elsevier Health Sciences.
Hicks, T. (2015). Seven Steps for Effective Problem Solving in the Workplace. Retrieved from www.mediate.com/articles/thicks.cfm
Keyton, J., et al. (2013). Investigating verbal workplace communication behaviors. Journal of Business Communication, 12(5), 22-29.
Wood, J. T. (2015). Interpersonal communication: Everyday encounters. London, UK: Nelson Education.
