What should be said when a interviewer is asking about experience with "conflict" between nurses?

WHEN i function as house sup, I am always on a crusade to make sure that new grads are well treated, especially by the seniors who sometimes forget that they were students once. Then I pull the new grads aside when I round, every single one of them and I stress to them that I am always 100% available to answer any clinical or pt safety issue for them real time. This is an exception I make to using the cahin of command. When all is well yes please utilize your charge or team lead but if they arent available or you still feel hesitant please by all means call me directly and I promise I will never be upset no matter what the question is!

I wanted to amend my previous answer.. I’d just say that most of the time, conflict has nothing to do with me, but the situation. If the other nurse is upset, I ask if they are ok or if there’s anything I can do to help. Again, most of the time it’s about the distribution of work, or not being able to get help. Most nurses will always jump in and help without being asked. There are times when nurses don’t like each other but you have to remember it’s about patient care and that’s the priority. I have had situations where I felt the nurse was not pulling their weight but that’s for management to handle. If another nurse was trying to take advantage of me, I’d simply say no.

Prevent conflict in the first place. We are all adults, maybe?

Honestly I never found nurses to be very direct with conflict, who ever had time for that? I’d say the most conflict was in patient assignments but that issue would be talking to the charge nurse ahead of time. If it was a disagreement about who should take an admission I’d say (and have said), ok I’m taking the admission if you take my patient in room 618. I used to either negotiate or just let it go and take one for the team

Explain that attempts to discuss the issue at hand are done via mediation with a supervisor as an independent witness. Your goal is to present facts and objectivity. Should you be found to be in correct, then you are willing to not only rectify the issue but work diligently to prevent further conflict. If you are correct, then you will not be retaliatory but supportive in helping those who are incorrect to follow protocol.

I would always go to management for conflicts. That is what they are there for me n a nice way of course.