Leadership An interdisciplinary team requires many different disciplines working together to accomplish the same goal of excellent patient care by focusing on outcomes. Two strategies that enable a nurse on an interdisciplinary team to exert leadership without occupying a formal leadership role is knowing what issues need to be addressed and taking a stance to do something about them and remaining positive. By speaking up, the nurse brings concerns to light and reduces patient risks. The nurse also needs to have a clear, concise, and appropriate plan of care for the patient that everyone on the team is aware of. Also, remaining positive and not contributing to “whining” or “finger pointing” will help make the members of the team support and respect the nurse's input. By attempting these strategies, the nurse is able to keep the patient's best interest at hand.
It is extremely important for a nurse to be actively involved in an interdisciplinary team because the nurse is the front line of patient care. The nurse spends the majority of her day at the patient's bedside. This gives the nurse an opportunity to really get to know the patient and what needs the patient may have. In order to adequately meet the needs of the patient, the nurse must take the lead role in the patient's plan of care. The nurse has the responsibility of seeing the “big picture” and making all the “tools” the other disciplines have to offer work together in harmony. Effective teamwork, open communication and respect for each of the team members are essential for positive outcomes. The nurse should set clear, attainable goals for the team to meet; this will help the team know that they have achieved a purpose. The nurse should always keep the patient informed and involved in his/her plan of care. By keeping the patient involved, it not only makes the patient feel like they are a part of the team, but it also motivates them to strive for a common goal.
According to the IHI course, “What Is A Culture of Safety? “ I would create a safe environment in a health care setting by applying the four characteristics: physiological safety, active leadership, transparency, and fairness in my workplace. I believe that by following this practice, patients will have a better and safer experience while being cared for.
Physiological safety fosters a learning environment, by making the nurse feel comfortable asking questions to other co-workers and knowing if they don't know the answer, they will not be penalized for it. I would enforce that there is no “right or wrong”, just an opportunity for learning and teaching the team. This in turn, offers a safe and nurturing environment for the patient because the nurse is not guessing what to do if she doesn't know. Active leadership involves forming a clear and concise plan that the whole team is aware of and comfortable with. By sharing this information, everyone is “in the know” about the situation, there is an open line of communication and the leader is now more approachable by the other members of the team.
A transparent organization is comfortable sharing information that