Discussing the importance of Teamwork in Nursing

Working as part of a team is critical to effective management within nursing through out practice the importance which team work presents for the team to improve their motivation and to establish methods of functioning, which are both efficient and effective. The aim of the assignment is to outline and discuss The Code, Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC 2008) it states as nurses you must work effectively as part of a team. The literature presents the finding that when individuals as part of a team, they feel as though they become part of a group of individuals working towards common goals, and it is thought that this presents individuals with a sense of unity and increased motivation towards their work (Mullins 1995).Through out the assignment it will show the understanding, discussion and highlight issues this raises for nurses. Building on formative experiences when working in the module group that will also be discussed. According to Belbin (1993), a nursing team may encompass a wide range of healthcare professional, of which many may form part of different disciplines. This means that the team consists of multidisciplinary staff, each with different speciality and role. Team working with individuals possessing such a variety of skills can therefore act to enhance the level of patient care, which can be achieved by the healthcare team.

Nursing is a procedure, which requires both a humanistic and intellectual approach in order for nursing staff to achieve full competency and to provide the best level of care to the patient, which possible. It is thought, that the procedure which members of a nursing team my under go five main stages and it is through these five stages, all members of the nursing team come together and are central in the role of patient care. All nursing stages will only reach their most effective level when all members of the healthcare team come together and have the patient care their main focus .All nursing stages will reach their most effective level when all members of the health care team participant. The five main stages of nursing practice are thought to include: Assessing, diagnosis, planning, intervention and it is thought that these steps play a crucial role in ensuring that the nurses work well as one functioning unit: part of a effective team ( Rocchioccioli 1998).According to the guideline’s for practice nurses which is set by the NMC (2008), A nurse must work cooperatively within teams and respect the skills, expertise and contributions of their colleagues.( NMC 2008 ).It is thought that in order to function as part of an effective team, the nurse must consult and take advice from colleagues when appropriate, threat their colleagues fairly and without discrimination and finally, the nurse as a team player, must make a referral to another practitioner when it is in the best interest of someone in their care ( NMC 2008 )

When collecting information from patients, it is important that nursing staff involved in this process, correctly record the information which has been gathered in the process to ensure that the information is shared and that the patient is therefore cared for in the most effective way. By not doing this and lack of provision of written documentation would prevent other members of the healthcare team from establishing information about the patient, and therefore it is important that nurses record the information collected on order to be the most effective team player they can be.

Patient assessment is a multidisciplinary team process, consultation with other team members and colleagues is important in order for the best assessment to be conducted. During patient assessments, it may be that some members of the team are more practiced in carrying out particular skills required for the assessment of patients who have particular conditions. In this case, the nurse should be willing to share information and skills that they have with other members of the team so that the process of the assessment is conducted in away, with the most information which is possible. Providing feedback to colleagues about a patient’s condition and their individual needs is also an essential part of the assessment phase. Sharing of information ensures that all of the team become accountable for the care provided to the patient and enable individuals to have a chance to suggest alternative methods of patient management, which have not previously been considered (Cliford and Robothham)

When considering the need for nurses to work as part of a team it is important to ensure that nurses comply with protocols, which state that they must do this effectively. The it is through the formation and subsequent following of the nursing care plan that nurses have the opportunity to practice and prefect their decision making and problem solving skills.( Roper et al,1996)it is through this process and through observation of other members of the team to have the ability to conduct them selves when carrying out care plans, that nurses are able to learn from one another and provide critical feedback to members of their team which will help them to improve their practice and levels of patient care in the future.

Developing an understanding is what makes a team work( Cottrell 2008 ) being able to work together. As a team member you must be able to communicate, good communication is a two way process, it requires good listening skills, participation, help and supporting you team in achieving the same goals. After working together in our module team, it was clear how the dynamic of the group can go wrong. Several people in the team were very controlling also showing no consideration towards other people in the group. After a few weeks one person took leadership which changed the dynamics of the team, the team become more positive.

After reading the article within the module team Wheatly’s (2007) demonstrates effective teamwork. Communication was the key, by collaborative working together it enable the patient to get the full support and treatment he required .A multi disciplinary team came together sharing knowledge, the process of assessment was conducted ensuring all of the team became accountable for the care provided.

Multi- professional teams that will work regularly with nurses will bring different strengths to the team. Each member of the team need to value and understand the contribution of all members for them to get effective team results (Hinchillifetal).

Nurses are often not considered to be the primary individuals involved in diagnosis of a patient, how ever in some patient cases, nurses are crucial to the team who make the patient diagnosis. It is though their observation of the patient that gather information can be gathered and a shared with team members who are central in making a diagnosis. It is important that Doctors who ultimately make the patient diagnosis. They also respect the nursing staff and their opinions regarding the patients symptoms and causes, and that they make the nurses feel valued as members of the multidisciplinary team. This is important because without such treatment, nurses may feel unmotivated and under valued and their work as a team member may be effected.

Every one works in different ways, everybody has strengths and weaknesses. It not just about one person making decision or doing a job or a task on there own, sharing skills enables people to learn. In nursing people working with nurses of a different generation need to respect that they have been doing the job for longer, and have more experience. Newly qualified nurses have advantages working in a team with senior nurses, it offers opportunity to explore new and different ways (Burgess).Nurses that have been registered for a long time can compare their experiences with those who with less. They might be gaps in your knowledge that might be missing and you need to address them, new experience my arise and you need to be able to deal with them. Problems might occur when people are not considering each other, respecting other members if the team/staff with more skills and experiences whilst working together has to be positive and a interesting learning curve more old with the new. When working in a team you should recognise and respect each other, every member of the team is important regardless of their tile (Weston )