Teamwork constitutes the foundation of effective patient outcomes. When healthcare practitioners collaborate with their colleagues properly, they make fewer medical errors, satisfy patients, and make the workplace happier. As RNs experience stress and anxiety in hospitals today, teamwork can improve their mental well-being drastically. Collaboration creates stronger professional connections among colleagues and encourages coworkers to enhance the efficiency of medical facilities. So, do how RNs today promote teamwork among their peers? Experts have explained some methods to enable nurses to collaborate in healthcare. You can try the below-mentioned suggestions to promote teamwork.
Promoting teamwork among your nursing workforce
When different healthcare departments collaborate, this teamwork improves patient outcomes. It’s one of many reasons for RNs to promote collaboration. As nurses establish powerful connections, teamwork helps them inspire their coworkers to reach career objectives. Moreover, this practice enables nurses to communicate, collaborate, and share expertise among themselves. Teamwork reduces patient mortality rates while increasing employee satisfaction scores. These advantages serve as compelling reasons to promote teamwork in a medical facility. Now, what are some recommended strategies for RNs to boost teamwork among colleagues? Let’s discuss these strategies here to help more RNs collaborate now:
- Complete regular training
Education bolsters teamwork and enables people to collaborate with their colleagues effectively. A nursing manager should leverage distance learning opportunities to promote teamwork. Encourage nurses with echocardiogram tech jobs to attain an online RN to MSN program designed to meet the ever-changing demands of a diverse nursing team. This program ensures RNs are familiar with their duties. Therefore, regular training can help everyone stay aware of each others’ unique responsibilities.
- Know your people
You can’t collaborate with people who don’t trust you. How can you make people trust you? You can get to know every team member, interact with them, and earn their attention. It’s difficult to collaborate with a team where people aren’t on good terms with each other. After someone’s been added to your team, communicate with them individually. Spend some time knowing these people. That’s how you show them they can trust you. Once trust is established, teamwork’s an easy task.
- Avoid micro-managing people
Managers should delegate responsibilities to people and allow them to exercise liberty while trying to accomplish these tasks. However, micro-managing doesn’t enable subordinates to collaborate effectively. You don’t have to manage your coworkers as they’re busy doing their jobs! Respect their authority and support their efforts. Don’t flaunt your seniority on less experienced team members. You shouldn’t undermine your colleagues’ autonomy or authority.
- Make personal connections
We believe nurses should establish personal connections with coworkers for better teamwork. You can’t expect to collaborate effectively at the workplace when there’s no chemistry between the workers outside of it! So, you may engage your coworkers in outside activities and learn about your coworkers’ private affairs. If you’re against engaging them in outside activities, ask them about their hobbies, families, and interests. This personal connection will motivate you to collaborate often.
- Communicate with colleagues
Effective communication establishes powerful teamwork. It enables RNs to collaborate perfectly and enhances their colleagues’ efficiency. However, communication doesn’t just include speaking. It also involves listening to what others have to say. Experts estimate that 27% of medical mistakes are caused by miscommunication. You must promote effective communication as one of the most important skills RNs should possess. That’s how nurses can collaborate better.
- Lead by example
They say how actions speaker louder than words. Nurse leaders/managers can’t motivate people to collaborate effectively without presenting themselves as an example of perfect teamwork. You can encourage subordinates to improve their teamwork capabilities by following your guidelines. When you’re showing frustration and not tolerating criticism, it reflects badly on your team’s morale. So, it seems wise to consider yourself as an example and make others follow in your footsteps.
- Embrace mutual diversity
Diversity enhances the functioning of your colleagues. Instead of eliminating differences, you should embrace them. When you’ve learned how to embrace differences, this practice allows you to boost the efficiency of your coworkers. Since you recognize what makes your coworkers unique. You must appreciate how every member’s different from others. That’s how you can instill a feeling of pride in your coworkers and motivate them to strive harder. Teamwork’s empowered with more diversity.
- Get proper feedback
How effective have these strategies been? You can’t evaluate the success of your endeavors without receiving proper feedback from the nursing workforce. Collaboration isn’t possible when you aren’t open to criticism or don’t receive feedback from people. Allow your employees to speak their minds. It’ll help you consider new methods to enhance teamwork among the nursing workforce. Let your underlings express their feelings fearlessly without any threat of being judged for their thoughts.
- Clarify people’s roles
Teamwork isn’t possible unless you clarify everyone’s roles, duties, and responsibilities. Once you’ve established expectations from team members, you can ensure nurses complete their duties without other nurses accidentally overlapping their responsibilities. A nursing manager must divide these tasks evenly among team members while allowing everyone to understand the scope of their unique positions properly. That’s how people can remain mindful of their duties and perform effectively.
ConclusionGenerally speaking, nurses have remained well-known for their collaborative endeavors. It’s been shown by AACN surveys that 92% of respondents report “high rates” of teamwork in the nursing workforce. So, it seems that communication and collaboration are some practices adhered to strictly by nurses. But you can still promote higher standards of teamwork by knowing your peers and communicating with them. A nursing manager shouldn’t neglect to lead by example, clarify everyone’s responsibilities, and accept the right feedback from people. Encourage your peers to undergo regular training so they may bolster their education. Make personal connections, embrace diversity, and don’t micro-manage your colleagues.
