Teamwork and Leadership in Nursing

TEAMWORK AND LEADERSHIP IN NURSING 1
Teamwork and leadership in nursing
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TEAMWORK AND LEADERSHIP IN NURSING 2
Teamwork and leadership in nursing
Introduction
Health systems reforms are underway globally. The desire to provide effective, high
quality and safe nursing practices has got attention not only in Australia but the entire world. In
clinical care setting, team nursing has been widely accepted as the best model for patient care.
Within the framework of this assignment, there will be an analysis of the key aspects or concepts
of teamwork and leadership in the role of the registered nurse working in healthcare teams.
Discussion
Patient care has undergone evolution so much. Traditionally, healthcare providers could
attend to patients in an isolated place. One healthcare provider would look after numerous
patients in a single community. Even though this traditional approach was convenient since the
healthcare provider would be reached at any time of the day, there was the need for change
(Kalisch, Aebersold, McLaughlin, Tschannen, & Lane, 2014). In the past 20 years, studies
indicate that it is risky for a healthcare to operate in isolation. It is the complexity of modern
healthcare that is revolving rapidly that acts as the stimulant behind the transition of healthcare
from operating in isolation to teams that share a common agenda/objective. Studies document
that the rapid changes in the healthcare sector dictates the need for teamwork (Scully, 2015). The
US National Guideline Clearinghouse for example has so far listed more than 2700 new
guidelines at the moment. There are over 25000 new clinical trials that ought to be integrated in
healthcare and it is impossible for one person to master all this. This further indicates the need
for teamwork among nurses.

TEAMWORK AND LEADERSHIP IN NURSING 3
There are different healthcare teams.The first team is known as a core team.This is a team
that is directly involved in patient care. Coordinating teams on the other hand ensure operational
management as well as coordinating functions and resources for the core teams (Polis, Higgs,
Manning, Netto, & Fernandez, 2017). Other notable teams include ancillary and contingency
teams. In order to be declared fit to operate as a team, there are certain measures that they have
to go through. The process begins by forming, then storming, Norming and finally performing
(Rahn, 2016). After the teams have been successfully formed, they are supposed to share certain
characteristics such as taking decisions, be in possession of specialized skills and the
complementary knowledge. The team should also act as one unit due to interdependency of
tasks. The team should also know their roles and the roles of other teams.
Values and principles of effective teamwork.
There are different values needed for effective teamwork. The first value is discipline.
Each member should carry out their roles and responsibilities in a disciplined manner. This
involves minimal supervision (Grubaugh & Flynn, 2018). It is discipline that makes it possible
for teams to stick to their set standards and protocols as they seek alternative ways to improve.
Creativity is also important since it makes it possible to anticipate errors as well as their possible
solutions. Humility on the other hand makes it possible for members to rely upon each other and
this assists in recognizing and averting failures regardless of their location (Fischer, 2017). The
principles of team based healthcare include shared goals, clear goals, effective communication,
measurable processes and outcomes and leadership.