Physician informed of departmental cuts
This is the original scenario submitted in the scenario selection phase. Click here to see the realistic script in development.
Hospital administration office. Manager informs physician that there have been budget cuts that will lead to reduced services to patients.
Physicians uses meeting to express his own ideas how the reduced funding should be managed.
Category:
physician – administrator
What's happening?
Feb 22 2012 (All day)
Nov 12 2011 - 9:30am
Comments
front line
I think a proactive response from a clinician about how to manage budget cuts is approprite given his/her first hand knowledge of how cuts might affect patient care. Otherwise a top down decision could take place that is met with strong opposition from clinicians.
Two legitimate perspectives
The dynamic here could be: manager has one perspective (broader consideration - including politics etc. - of the issue, plus a position of authority, while clinician has narrow perspective - impact on patients.
This provides an opportunity to show how (and how not) for the clinician to communicate from an "inferior" power position. Perhaps coaxing an empathic response from the manager to get them to consider the clinician's point of view?
empathy
An administrator may be more interested in dollars and cents ( no pun intended!) so it is a fine line between economics and empathy and requires some of both.
Summarizing the contrasting vignettes
Realistic vignette: Physician hears about budget cuts, and is angry, thinks that the administrator "doesn't understand." Leaves with the intention of writing angry letters, trying to get the administrator fired, calling the administrator "dumb" etc - the usual blaming and labelling.
Empathic vignette: Physician hears about the cuts, does inner work to get to her own feelings and needs (which probably include the need to contribute to the wellbeing of others, needs for quality, achievement, acknowledgement, appreciation, etc). Then figures out what the needs of the administrator are, and how the decision to cut the budget might meet those needs. These could definitely involve things like efficiency, productivity, progress, etc. In the encounter, the physician deals with the administrator's needs first, so that the administrator's need for understanding and acknowledgement is met. Then the physician can put her needs on the table. The request would then be for a continuation of the conversation in search of some choices that better meet everyone's needs.
Role of Advocacy
Building on Trevor's comment, this scenario might show the role of empathic communication as a leadership skill that can help you persuade others by having more meaningful dialogue.
Scenario text
Hospital administration office. Manager informs physician that there have been budget cuts that will lead to reduced services to patients.
Physicians uses meeting to express his own ideas how the reduced funding should be managed.