Conflict-Handling Styles Demonstrated by Nursing Students in Response to Microethical Dilemmas

Undergraduate nursing students have reported feeling ill-prepared to handle the conflict that accompanies the routine exposure to microethical dilemmas. Microethical dilemmas, as first defined by Worthley (1997), are routine questionable practices that have the potential to compromise quality patient care, negatively impact workplace culture, and initiate moral distress. Nurse educators employ a variety of strategies to support students’ ability to effectively manage conflict; however, little is known about how students authentically respond to ethical dilemmas. The purpose of this pilot study was to describe the frequency of conflict-handling styles demonstrated by undergraduate nursing students who encountered microethical dilemmas embedded within high-fidelity simulation (HFS) scenarios in the academic laboratory