Self-reflective Teamwork Experience In Nursing Essay

It is widely accepted that good teamwork is essential to delivering high-quality patient care in nursing. This is because nursing is a complex and dynamic profession. Effective teams allow nurses to share the workload, knowledge, and expertise required to provide safe and effective care. Good teamwork can make a difference in patients’ quality of care, sometimes between life and death. Nurses must work together efficiently to provide the best care possible for their patients. Many factors contribute to good teamwork in nursing. One of the most important is communication. Nurses need to communicate effectively with each other to coordinate care. They also need to be able to communicate with other members of the healthcare team, such as doctors and pharmacists.

Nurses also need to trust each other to work effectively as a team. This trust takes time to build, but nurses need to be able to rely on each other.  As a nurse, you will likely be part of a team at some point in your career. I am a staff nurse on an acute surgical ward and have been so for the past nine months. I have learned numerous skills while working on this ward, from much improved time management to advanced people skills. However, teamwork is one of the most important skills I have learned and developed. In this essay, I will reflect on a time when I worked as part of a team in a particularly challenging situation.

It was a Monday morning, and we were already short-staffed due to one of our nurses being off sick. We were also dealing with a challenging patient who was demanding and aggressive. The team was feeling the strain when one of our team members unexpectedly had to leave early due to a family emergency. This left us even more short-staffed, and we all knew we would have to pull together to get through the shift. Working as part of a team is always challenging, but it was especially so in this situation. The whole team had to be very organized and efficient to make up for being short-staffed. We all had to communicate well and support each other to get through the shift successfully. I learned a lot from this experience, including the importance of teamwork. I saw how important it is to work together effectively as a team to get the job done, even under challenging circumstances. This experience has made me a better nurse, and I am now more aware of the importance of teamwork in healthcare. 

Through my teamwork experience in nursing, I have come to reflect on the importance of teamwork. Teamwork is an inevitable part of our lives, especially in nursing. It is a process that involves two or more people working together to achieve a common goal. In nursing, teamwork is essential for providing quality patient care. There are many benefits to teamwork in nursing. By working together, nurses can share their knowledge and skills to provide better patient care. They can also support and encourage each other, leading to better job satisfaction. In addition, teamwork can also improve communication and collaboration within the nursing team. 

Stages of team development

There are several stages that teams go through as they develop. In the nursing career, these stages can be vital to the success of the team and its members. The forming–storming–norming–performing, and adjourning model of group development was first proposed by Bruce Tuckman in 1965.

The first stage is forming. In the forming stage, team members just get to know each other and learn to work together. They may not be sure of their roles on the team yet, but they are starting to develop relationships.

The second stage is storming. In this stage, team members start to assert themselves and their ideas. There may be conflict at this stage as team members try to figure out who is in charge and the team’s goals.

The third stage is norming. In the norming stage, team members start to work together more harmoniously. They have a better understanding of their roles and responsibilities, and they are starting to develop trust in each other.

The fourth stage is performing. In this stage, the team is working together effectively and efficiently. Through effective communication, they are achieving their goals and meeting the healthcare needs of their patients.

The final step is the adjourning stage. The team has accomplished almost all its goals and can be disbanded. Final tasks are completed with documentation of results. Members can be reassigned to other teams as the workload has reduced.

Each team will go through these stages at different speeds and in a different order. However, understanding these stages can help team members better understand each other and work together more effectively. 

As a nurse, I am always aware of the five stages of team development. I am constantly reflecting on my development as a team member and how I can improve my skills, including patient safety, at each stage. I find that I am most effective in the forming and performing stages. I am very good at organizing and motivating new team members and work well under pressure. However, I sometimes struggle in the storming stage. I can be too blunt and direct with my opinions, leading to conflict. I am working on learning to be more diplomatic and understanding of other points of view. Overall, I am confident in my abilities as a team member. I am always looking for ways to improve my nursing care skills to be the best possible team member for my patients and colleagues. I am constantly amazed at how well my team functions. I believe that our ability to go through these five stages of team development is a big part of our success. I am grateful to have such a great team and constantly learn from them.

Task allocation in Teamwork Experience in Nursing

To function effectively as a team, nurses must distribute tasks among themselves evenly. This can be challenging, as nurses have different experience levels and expertise. There are a few careful considerations that should be taken into account when allocating tasks. Task allocation should support the team’s experience in nursing by promoting.

• A feeling of ownership and responsibility for the patient’s care,
• A sense of shared purpose amongst team members, and
• A sense of interdependence and collaboration.

When executed effectively, task allocation can contribute significantly to the team’s experience in nursing. The task allocation process in nursing is complex, with many factors to consider. The first is the acuity of the patient. This refers to the severity of their condition and how urgently they require treatment. More acutely ill patients will need to be seen by a nurse more urgently and require more complex care. The second factor to consider is the skill set of the nurse. Some nurses will have more experience or training and be better equipped to handle specific tasks. Considering the nurse’s skill set when allocating tasks is essential so that each patient receives the best possible care with the best healthcare and patient outcomes. The third factor to consider is the size of the nursing team. If only a few nurses are on duty, they will need to be aware of the patient load and ensure that they are not taking on too many patients. This will help to ensure that each patient receives the attention they need.

I have had the opportunity to work with many different types of teams in the nursing field. From this effective teamwork experience, I have learned that to work effectively as a team, all members must be able to communicate openly and honestly. Teamwork and collaboration in nursing are key for team progress. Team members must also cooperate with team leaders to achieve common goals through mutual respect and a willingness to compromise. Lastly, teamwork requires a shared sense of responsibility among all team members. Theymust be willing to take on their fair share of the work to succeed.

References:

• Belbin. D.M, 2007. Belbin’s Team Roles: How understanding team roles can improve team performance.
• Tuckman BW, 1977. Stages of small group development revisited. Group and organizational studies.
• Scott D. Johnson et al., 2000. Team development and group operations of digital learning teams. College of Education, College or university of Illinois.
• Tuckman Theory, “Tuckman’s Team Development Model,” online available at: www. e3smallschools. Org/download/Tuckman’s Team Development Model. pdf
• Fulk, H.K., Bell, R.L., and Bodie, N., 2011, Team Management by Objectives: Enhancing Developing Teams’ Performance, Journal of Management Policy and Practice, 12(3), pp. 17-26.