Physicians must make it through a grueling marathon of learning and training. Administrators struggle with conflicting demands and not enough dollars. Nurses, however, deserve a special place in the high stress pantheon. Nursing professionals must cope with the conflicting demands of a growing number of stakeholders. Doctors may breeze on and off the ward, most administrators don't interact with patients, but nurses are blamed for bad food, noisy neighbors, and slow responses to patient needs.
Nurses find themselves having to act as the interface between competing interests.
Negotiating skills can help one deal with these demands and many others. When we train people in negotiation, our usual advice is to separate the people from the problem. Even if you could make someone disappear, that is not likely to resolve the substantive issue. Stepping away from demands, divorcing yourself from the demeaning, recognizing that being responsible is a job description and not a measure of your ego can reduce stress big time. Being able to do those things makes you a more powerful negotiator.