Interpersonal Relationships Essay

Interpersonal relationships can either be defensive or supportive. I find myself being both very many times because I can see things in all different aspects. I try to put myself in the persons shoes in order to determine what would be best in my eyes, A supportive relationship is one where you back up the persons ideas and actions. I believe a manager must always have a supportive relationship with their boss in order to enforce rules in the workplace. If the manager does not enforce their supervisor’s rules then things would go very wrong. A defensive relationship is something we see very often because we all have different opinions. In the workplace especially when working in the healthcare field being defensive can be mistaken for aggression. Having a defensive relationship means that although you work together you have different views and they are expressed. I had a meeting last week where I actually had to speak defensively towards the CEO of the company. Our quota was being held against us in a manner that I did not agree with and I advised the manager. Since she did not acknowledge my suggestion I brought it up in our meeting and not only was I acknowledged our quotas are being reviewed. Part of being a successful communicator whether it is defensive or supportive is being assertive. Being assertive is essential in our daily lives especially in the workplace. There are plenty of times when we are trying to submit claims to the insurance company but they require more information. Many times we try to request more information such as letter of medical necessities from the doctors and they refuse because they feel they documented enough. Because we work for them we are not allowed to tell them what to do but this is when being assertive comes in. You advise the doctor that the insurance company is requesting more information than what is in the medical records and that if the letter is not done by a certain time the insurance company will not pay for the services that were rendered. Being assertive means being straight forward and strong with your style of communication without being aggressive or demeaning. Being assertive is like demanding something without the umpgh. I believe I effectively communicate within my interpersonal relationships. I always am assertive when speaking. I stand my ground and make my point clear and aggression is rarely ever used. I do defend my ideas and my points fully with everyone I speak to. Even at home I do not yell at my son unless he has done something truly incorrect. I always talk to him and show him right from wrong and explain why things should be done a certain way. Interpersonal relationships are essential in life. We all need to work together in our everyday lives in order to accommodate one another and not to offend anyone. In the healthcare field we all have the same goals and that is to make sure that the patient gets the care they need while the insurance companies pay the claims for our doctors. The healthcare field is filled with interpersonal relationships. We all depend on one another in order to do our job correctly. The doctor needs the nurse the nurse needs the front desk and everyone needs the billers. In the healthcare field we must use our confidence in order to be assertive. Being confident means knowing and standing for what you believe is right and expressing that. Being assertive means standing your ground without proof and without being aggressive. Although I believe being assertive works much better when there is proof because it shows that you researched what you are discussing. Assertiveness is a need in any field because you must speak your mind in order to communicate effectively and if you work in the healthcare field than being assertive will make you a very successful healthcare professional.