The purpose of this study was to identify relations between nurses' interaction styles and patient care interventions (PCI) that occurred after nurse-doctor interactions. A nonparticipant observer recorded interactions of 48 female registered nurses with physicians. Transcripts were coded and assigned to one of five theoretical nurse interaction style categories: avoidance, competition, accommodation, collaboration, and compromise. Inspection of 239 interactions of a subsample of 38 nurses revealed a difference by basic education of the nurse. When the nurses did not suggest PCI, a collaborative style was used most frequently by both diploma (62% of the time) and baccalaureate (70%) graduates. When PCI was suggested, diploma graduates used an accommodative style most (72% of the time), and baccalaureate graduates used a collaborative style most (50%). Medications were the most frequently suggested PCI by both dipolma and baccalaureate graduates. The differential findings for the diploma and baccalaureate graduates may be the result of socialization experiences in nursing school and a trend toward a knowledge-oriented (as opposed to a rule-oriented) nursing practice. (Author)