Once you have read through the case study, imagine that you have been asked by your chief executive officer to review the case with the organization's senior leadership team. Your PowerPoint presentat
Managing Health Care Professionals: Five Mini-Case Studies with Role Play
Sharon B. Buchbinder
1. SEXUAL HARASSMENT ALLEGATION
A male nurse complains to his unit manager that he is being sexually harassed by a coworker, a female nurse. The female denies the charge. The female employee has received consistently excellent annual performance appraisals and has never been a “problem employee.” The male employee has received a poor annual review and has been disciplined for chronic tardiness. He is on the verge of being terminated.
Role Play
Male Nurse: One student is the male nurse who is making the complaint. It is that student’s job to convince his unit manager that he has been sexually harassed by his coworker. Keeping in mind the Discussion Questions and Additional Resources for this case, how can the male nurse convince his manager that this complaint has nothing to do with his poor annual review and recent discipline?
Unit Manager: One student is the unit manager. It is that student’s job to sort through the allegations and decide what to do next. The male nurse has a bad track record. The unit manager knows that if an allegation of sexual harassment is in play, an employee cannot be terminated or it will appear to be a vindictive termination. Keeping in mind the Discussion Questions and Additional Resources for this case, how can the unit manager deal with this appropriately and effectively?
2. YOU DON’T LOVE ME ENOUGH
Allison arrived at work early and stopped by the cafeteria for a quick cup of coffee before she headed up to the floor. She was looking forward to her shift and mentoring Lynne, a novice nurse. While paying the cashier, Allison felt a tap on her shoulder.
“Hi, Lynne! How are you?” Allison said and smiled.
“Didn’t you hear me calling to you in the parking lot?” Lynne asked.
“No, I was listening to my tunes,” Allison said and tapped her shirt pocket.
“I guess your music is more important than I am!”
“Lynne, I didn’t hear you. What’s wrong?”
“I give and give,” the novice’s voice ratcheted up the octaves, growing louder with each word. “I help, all the time, without being asked. What do I get? You treat me like dirt!” Lynne grabbed napkins from the dispenser, held them over her face, and wailed. “I’m going to the nurse manager to see about getting a new mentor. You really don’t care about me. I can’t be ignored like this!”
Role Play
Lynne, the Novice: One student is the novice nurse. It is that student’s job to explain (between hysterical sobs) why she wants a new mentor. Keeping in mind the Discussion Questions and Additional Resources for this case, how can the novice convince Allison that she needs (and deserves) more attention than she’s receiving from Allison.
Allison, the Mentor: One student is Allison, the mentor nurse. It is that student’s job to talk Lynne off the ledge and get her grounded. Allison has mentored a lot of new nurses. She understands this is a tough time for newbies. Keeping in mind the Discussion Questions and Additional Resources for this case, how can Allison deal with this appropriately and effectively?
3. SWITCH WITH ME—OR ELSE!
Beverly reviewed the new schedule, happy that she’d put in her request for the weekend six months in advance. She and her husband were going to New York, and she couldn’t wait. When she came out of the locker room, she almost bumped into her coworker, Carl.
“Yikes! They’ve got me down to work on my son’s birthday,” he said. “I need you to switch with me.”
“I wish I could help you out, but it’s my anniversary.”
“You and your husband can celebrate anytime. My kid’s only going to turn two years old once.” Carl towered over her and glared. “You have to switch with me. Or else.”
Role Play
Carl: One student is Carl, the bully. It is that student’s job to convince Beverly to switch days off with him. Keeping in mind the Discussion Questions and Additional Resources for this case, how can Carl convince Beverly she really wants to switch with him, for her own good?
Beverly: One student is Beverly. It is that student’s job to stand her ground and set boundaries. She has seen Carl bully other nurses into switching schedules with him, and she’s not about to let him do it to her. Keeping in mind the Discussion Questions and Additional Resources for this case, how can Beverly deal with Carl appropriately and effectively?
4. PASSED OVER
Angie Lopez has been working in the Billing Department at Great West Medical Center (GWMC) as a Customer Service Representative for five years. She is an excellent worker, with a great track record of soothing upset patients and families who have problems with payments. When a position opens up for a Customer Service Supervisor, her supervisor, who is getting promoted to another department, tells Angie she should apply. She thinks she is a shoo-in. Excited to be identified for this new role, Angie pursues the opportunity and interviews well. She thinks she has the job. Then she finds out a 62-year-old white man from a totally different area, with no experience in GWMC, was selected for the position. She goes to Elly in HR and asks why she didn’t get the job.
Role Play
Angie Lopez: One student is Angie. It is that student’s job to meet with the HR Representative and express her concerns about being passed over for the job. Keeping in mind the Discussion Questions and Additional Resources for this case, how can Angie communicate her concerns in a professional, appropriate, and effective manner?
HR Representative: One student is Elly, the HR Representative. It is that student’s job to share with Angie what she is legally allowed to share regarding the hiring process, including the educational preferences for the position. Among other things, the man who won the job has a BS in Business and 10 years of customer service experience with a competitor hospital. Angie has an AAS in Business. Keeping in mind the Discussion Questions and Additional Resources for this case, how can the HR Representative let Angie know that she is a valued member of the GWMC team? What kind of suggestions can HR provide Angie to improve her opportunities for advancement?
5. THE WHITE RABBIT
Dr. Lapin, a psychiatrist at Best Hospital, was quite a character. For five years in a row, he dressed up for Halloween as the White Rabbit. He’d hop around the hospital and look at his giant pocket watch and repeat, “I’m late, I’m late, for a very important date!” This year, Dr. Lapin dressed as the White Rabbit for Halloween, which fell on a Monday, and for every day of the week thereafter. On Friday, Nurse Bettie, a staff nurse who has known Dr. Lapin for over 10 years, stopped him in the hallway and said, “Dr. Lapin, it’s a cute costume, but don’t you think you’re overdoing it this year?” The doctor cocked his bunny ears, looked at the RN and said, “Who’s Dr. Lapin? I’m the White Rabbit and I have to find the Red Queen.” Nurse Bettie thought he was kidding until she saw him raise his hands into paws and bound down the hall. She watched in horror as Dr. Lapin hopped into the crowded Best Hospital lobby, jumped up and down on a sofa, and shouted, “I’m late, I’m late! I can’t find the Red Queen!”
Role Play
Dr. Lapin: One student is Dr. Lapin. He has a date. He’s late for it. He can’t find the Red Queen. Dr. Lapin is evidencing a serious mental health problem. He is unable to express himself except to hop and repeat, “I’m late, I’m late! I can’t find the Red Queen!”
Nurse Bettie: One student is Nurse Bettie. She is very concerned about her friend and coworker’s mental health as well as the safety of the visitors in the Best Hospital lobby. It is this student’s job to decide the best strategy for dealing with this crisis.
Keeping in mind the Discussion Questions and Additional Resources for this case, how can Nurse Bettie deal with Dr. Lapin in a professional, appropriate, and effective manner?
Discussion Questions
1. What are the known facts in each of these scenarios?
2. What organizational behavior problems do these cases illustrate?
3. Are there cultural differences that might explain the behaviors in these cases?
4. What role does Emotional Intelligence play in these scenarios?
5. What legal and ethical dilemmas do these cases demonstrate?
6. What principles of power and influence are at play in each of these scenarios?
7. Have any of these situations ever happened to you at work? What did you do? Provide your reflections and personal opinions as well as your recommendations for what you would do differently now. Provide a rationale for your response.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Borkowski, N. (2011). Organizational behavior in health care (2nd ed.). Sudbury, MA: Jones and Bartlett.
Buchbinder, S. B. (2009, July 29). Emotional intelligence and leadership. Retrieved from http://blogs.jblearning.com/health/2009/07/29/emotional-intelligence-and-leadership/
Buchbinder, S. B., & Shanks, N. H. (Eds.). (2012). Introduction to health care management (2nd ed.). Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett.
The Consortium on Research for Emotional Intelligence in Organizations. (2009). The emotional competence framework. Retrieved from http://www.eiconsortium.org/reports/emotional_competence_framework.html
DelPo, A., & Guerin, L. (2002). Dealing with problem employees: A legal guide. Berkeley, CA: Nolo.
Dewa, C. S. (2007). Mental illness and the workplace: A national concern. The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry / La Revue Canadienne de Psychiatrie, 52(6), 337–338.
Dingfelder, S. F. (2006, April). Whispers as weapons. Monitor on Psychology, 36(4), 62–64.
Fallon, L. F., & McConnell, C. R. (2007). Human resource management in healthcare: Principles and practices. Sudbury, MA: Jones and Bartlett.
Heathfield, S. (2006). Rise above the fray: Options for dealing with difficult people at work. Retrieved from http://humanresources.about.com/od/workrelationships/a/difficultpeople.htm
Kelly, L. (2011). “I know it shouldn’t but it still hurts” Bullying and adults: Implications and interventions for practice. Nursing.theclinics.com. doi:10.1016/j/cnur.2011.08.003
McLeod, J. (2007). Cruel intentions? Nursing Management, 14(4), 16–18.
Morrison, E. E. (2011). Ethics in health administration: A practical approach for decision makers (2nd ed.). Sudbury, MA: Jones and Bartlett.
Negri, L. (2009). Why has a woman with mental illness been fired? Discourses on fairness and diversity management. Work: Journal of Prevention, Assessment & Rehabilitation, 33(1), 35–42.
Office of Minority Health. (2001). National standards for culturally and linguistically appropriate services in health care: Final report. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Patterson, K., Grenny, J., McMillan, R., & Switzler, A. (2004). Crucial confrontations. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.
Patterson, K., Grenny, J., McMillan, R., & Switzler, A. (2011). Crucial conversations: Tools for talking when stakes are high (2nd ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.
Roberts, S., Demarco, R., & Griffin, M. (2009). The effect of oppressed group behaviours on the culture of the nursing workplace: A review of the evidence and interventions for change. Journal of Nursing Management, 17, 288–293.
