Teamwork in the Nursing Profession
This is a 5 page paper discussing the change in teamwork in the nursing profession. Teamwork within the nursing profession has changed a great deal within the last fifty years. Team nursing was a common structure in patient health care but took many of the registered nurses (RNs) away from patient care and into administrative work leading to job dissatisfaction in nurses and leaving lesser skilled workers such as licenced practical nurses (LPNs) and aides with patient care. When primary care nursing was introduced, RNs were once again in charge of patient care but were left with little administrative representation until the introduction of nursing executives which allowed for nurses to become active members on the administrative teams. Today, patient-focused health care requires multidisciplinary teams which include not only physicians, nurses and aides but also physical therapists, occupational therapists and the patient in regards to decision making about patient care. The nurse has become a vital member of the patient-focused team because the nurse becomes the team leader and liaison between the patient and the rest of the team based on the nurse’ high level of contact with the patient. This allows the nurse to not only utilize health care skills learned through his or her education but also increases the area of responsibility to include important aspects of communication necessary in a successful team environment. Bibliography lists 10 sources.
