One of the hardest lessons for new nurses is realizing that conflict often happens within the nursing team.

Nursing isn’t just about patient care—it’s about teamwork.
And sometimes, teamwork means dealing with conflict.

Whether you’re a brand-new nurse or a seasoned professional, no one escapes the tough conversations that come with the job. From staffing assignments to care disagreements, conflict is part of healthcare life.

In my last post, I talked about the culture of “eating our young” in nursing. One of the hardest lessons for new nurses is realizing that conflict doesn’t just come from patients and families. It happens within the team—between nurses, doctors, support staff, and allied health providers.

So how do we fix that?
We stop avoiding conflict and start handling it with professionalism, confidence, and care.

In this post, I’ll share real-life tools and scripts I teach nurses to handle team conflict without losing their cool—or their compassion.

Let’s dive in!

Understanding Conflict in Nursing

Why Conflict Happens:

Healthcare is high-stakes and high-pressure. Even the best teams clash sometimes. Here’s why:

High-stress environments: Life-or-death decisions can make anyone tense.
Different personalities and communication styles: Not everyone communicates the same way.
Hierarchy and power dynamics: Nursing involves working within strict hierarchies, which can cause friction.
Burnout and compassion fatigue: When people are exhausted, tempers flare.

Lack of training: Most nurses don’t get formal education in professional communication and conflict resolution.

Common Conflict Scenarios Nurses Face:

These are the situations that come up again and again:

Disagreements about patient care plans
Being overridden or dismissed by a doctor
Clashing with other nurses about assignments or tasks
Getting criticized publicly instead of privately
Misunderstandings with other disciplines (PT, OT, dietitians, etc.)

Conflict can lead to nurses starting to question themselves or feeling like failures.

The Cost of Avoiding Conflict

Many nurses try to avoid conflict altogether—but that strategy backfires.

Here’s what it costs:

Patient safety risks: Unresolved issues can lead to errors or missed care.
Nurse burnout and turnover: Bottling things up leads to frustration and exhaustion.
Team breakdowns: Teams that can’t communicate can’t function well.
Personal stress and self-doubt: Nurses start questioning themselves or feeling like failures.

Impact on new nurses: When we don’t teach conflict skills, the next generation suffers too.

How to Handle Conflict Like a Professional Nurse

Step 1: Pause and Assess

Before you respond:

Take a breath.
Ask yourself:

Is this about patient safety?
Is it a misunderstanding?
Or is this just stress talking?

Starting with clarity prevents emotional reactions that escalate the situation

Step 2: Choose the Right Time and Place

Address issues privately whenever possible.
Never correct a coworker in front of a patient unless it’s a true safety emergency. Patients should never see healthcare team members arguing—that erodes trust.

Step 3: Use Assertive (Not Aggressive) Communication

Assertiveness is about respectful honesty. It’s not about being passive, and it’s not about being harsh.

Here are real-life conflict resolution scripts to help:

These scripts defuse tension while keeping the focus on patient safety and teamwork.

Step 4: Document When Necessary

Sometimes conflicts aren’t one-time events—they’re patterns. If the issue involves:

Ongoing unsafe practices
Workplace bullying
Potential harm to patients

You need to document the facts. This could mean:

Keeping a private log of dates, times, and events
Reporting through proper hospital channels (without gossiping or escalating prematurely)

Documentation protects your license and your patients.

Step 5: Know When to Escalate

If the issue:

Puts patients at risk
Keeps happening despite direct conversations

Then it’s time to use the chain of command:

Talk to the charge nurse
Escalate to the manager or educator

If needed, involve HR or risk management

Special Tips for New Nurses

For new nurses, conflict can feel terrifying. Here’s how to navigate it without getting overwhelmed:

Don’t take it personally—but don’t ignore it either.
Use your mentor as a sounding board. Talk it through before acting.
Practice conflict conversations ahead of time. Role-playing helps.
Keep a journal. Write down what happened and how you responded so you can learn and grow.

Building a Culture of Respect

Ending the cycle of “eating our young” starts with building a culture of respectful communication.

Here’s how:

Experienced nurses: Model positive conflict resolution. Show new nurses how to handle tough conversations professionally.
New nurses: Speak up early and kindly. Advocating for patient safety is never wrong.
Everyone: Remember—we’re all here for the same reason: the patient.

Mentorship, not blame, is how we build better teams.

Face Conflict with Courage and Care

Conflict is normal in healthcare.
Mishandling it is costly—but managing it well builds better teams, safer care, and stronger nurses.

Click here for a copy to carry with you of steps to follow

💬 Join the Conversation:

Share your stories in the comments or reach out—I’d love to hear from you.

Have you experienced conflict at work? How did you handle it?
What’s one strategy you’ve learned that helped?
Any tips or stories you'd like to share with your fellow new nurses?

💙If you are not on our email list, click the contact link here.

💙Don’t forget to follow me on my Instagram account @nclex_one_on_one_tutoring and share it with your colleagues!

Want Mentorship?

If you’re a new nurse (or an experienced one) who wants help building communication skills, I’m here to support you.

Let’s imagine a nursing culture where we handle conflict with courage, professionalism, and care—not fear or silence.

Let’s build that together.

The Nurse’s Guide to Conflict: How to Handle Healthcare Team Clashes