Reference no: EM133297022

Case: You are a senior member of a traditional on-campus baccalaureate nursing class. Three years ago, your university implemented an online RN-BSN program. The first students from that program graduated last year and they held a small, private end-of-program ceremony, separate from the on-campus BSN students. This year, as a result of ongoing state budget cuts, the School of Nursing can no longer subsidize two separate end of program ceremonies. This means that the 32 RN-BSN students and the 68 on-campus students must now work together to plan a joint ceremony.

Resistance is high. The two groups of students have spent no time together and do not know each other. The on-campus students have been planning their ceremony since they started the nursing program and have collected additional money each semester to fund a formal dinner with added entertainment following and breakfast at one of the nicest restaurants in town. Money from the School of Nursing would be used to subsidize the cost of the entertainment and the reception hall. The online students would like to limit the evening session to cake and punch at the college to reduce the cost because most of them will incur additional travel and lodging costs to attend graduation. However, they would like to have the School of Nursing use the funds available to host a "picnic in the park" the following day, to which they can bring their families. Both groups perceive that the other group is trying to control the situation, not being sensitive to needs or wants. Both groups have contacted college officials to complain about the situation, and a number of students are threatening not to attend the ceremony if the two groups must be merged.

You, as president of the nursing student governing body, have been appointed as the spokesperson for the on-campus BSN graduates. Joan is the spokesperson for the RN-BSN graduates. The faculty member, Professor Johnston, who is the liaison for the end of ceremony program, has become alarmed at the situation and has contacted both you and Joan. She states that the ceremony will be cancelled if the conflict is not resolved. Professor Johnston agrees to work with you and Joan to mediate the conflict, but time is of the essence. The semester ends soon, and the on-campus students will not receive a refund on their reception hall deposit after the end of the current week. Professor Johnston wants the conflict resolved in a win-win situation so that no parties leave angry.

Question 1: Where will you begin and/or how will you initiate a discussion with Joan? What tools could be used during your interactions to promote accountability?

Question 2: How will you get input from the group that you are representing and ensure accountability to them (your peers)? Are there any tasks in this process that you could delegate to any of them?

Question 3: What type of negotiation strategies might you use to help both groups win as much as possible and lose as little as possible and how might you deal with conflicted parties who feel that they have lost more than they have won?

Question 4: What role does Professor Johnston play in this discussion? How might Professor Johnston or the School of Nursing help to make motivating environment for the two informal leaders and provide meaningful recognition of the work they are doing/have done? How could their peers?

Question 5: How can you apply some of the strategies utilized in this case study or in answering the essay questions into practice as a coordinator of care within or across clinical microsystems (workplace)? What other strategies utilized could be applied to practice?