Applying the COPE Process (Lesson 23) The Case of the Angry Surgeon Assume you work in a large hospital. You have been given the responsibility of setting up a conference at the hospital for surgical nurses. The three day conference includes seminars and workshops on all aspects of surgical nursing. Your job includes arranging for the audio-visual equipment as requested. Requests for equipment were to be submitted in writing on a form which you sent to all the presenters. On the second day of the conference you are confronted by a surgeon who is angry about not having an overhead projector in his seminar room. You have no recollection of his requesting a projector. Surgeon: "Where's my overhead projector? I'm supposed to start my class in one minute and there's no projector. I can't believe the inefficiency around here. I am really upset." If you have QuickTime (Apple's technology for handling video) installed on your machine, you can view a video clip of the Angry Surgeon scene. If not, just continue below. What do you do? Remember, you have no recollection of having been asked to provide a projector but you believe there is one available. The surgeon is an important person on the hospital staff. You enjoy your job and you want to keep it. You have a good relationship with others on the staff. Apply each of the steps in the C-O-P-E process to this case and explain how you would... C - Center yourself - How would you keep cool? O - Identify your Objectives - What would be your general and specific goals? P - Make a Plan: What communication strategy or strategies (back of COPE card) would you select for this situation? E - Execute the plan: What might you say?. (Write one statement related to your plan/strategy.) Write your responses to each of the questions in the COPE process
