Teamwork in nursing is essential for improving patient care, safety and promoting favorable outcomes. Collaboration in nursing also supports a positive work culture and lower burnout rate among nurses. Nursing students can improve their teamwork skills during clinicals, labs and study groups.
Collaboration and teamwork are at the heart of the nursing profession. Solid teamwork in nursing improves patient care and patient satisfaction, while also creating a positive and supportive work culture for nurses. Teamwork is a skill that can be learned and improved upon through experience and mentorship. If you’re thinking about becoming a nurse, consider how collaboration in nursing may support your career growth.
You can explore teamwork amongst nursing students and nurses when you enroll in Averett University’s Accelerated BSN (ABSN) program. Our students work collaboratively with peers and professional nurses during the program and can graduate in as few as 16 months. The hands-on learning experiences offer opportunities for cultivating nursing skills.
While you’re getting ready to apply to Averett, explore the importance of teamwork for nurses and the skills that support strong collaboration. Then, review actionable strategies you can use to strengthen your own teamwork skills.
Why Teamwork Matters in Nursing Practice
Teamwork is at the center of excellent nursing care. While nurses care for their own patients, they often rely on fellow nurses and other healthcare providers. Many nursing tasks, such as moving a bedridden patient, take a team effort.
Similarly, some medical conditions require consulting with a more experienced nurse on staff. Additionally, if one patient needs more attention during a shift, you may need the other nurses on the unit to lend a hand with your other patients. Nurses rely on each other for help, advice and camaraderie.
How Collaboration in Nursing Improves Patient Outcomes
Teamwork isn’t just beneficial for nurses; it’s also essential for providing quality patient care. When nurses work closely with each other, they close gaps in patient care, ensuring each patient has what they need to heal and be comfortable.
Collaboration in nursing can reduce the risk of medical errors, support patient safety and improve the efficiency of care delivery. These advantages help improve patient outcomes and enhance patient satisfaction.
Key Skills That Strengthen Teamwork Among Nurses
While teamwork is an essential skill by itself, it can be enhanced by other skills. For example, effective communication supports collaboration by ensuring everyone is on the same page. Nurses who communicate clearly during handoffs help ensure patients receive the care and attention they need.
Other essential skills for good teamwork include:
- Adaptability
- Conflict resolution
- Emotional intelligence
- Empathy
- Interpersonal skills
- Leadership skills
- Task delegation
Discover some of the essential soft skills in nursing.
Challenges to Effective Collaboration in Healthcare Settings
Nurses may encounter challenges when improving their collaboration skills. According to a study published in BMC Primary Care, one of these challenges includes power imbalances that can create hierarchical obstacles and hinder cooperation.
For example, a top-down power structure in which decisions are made by those in the highest positions and communicated to those lower can discourage nurses from raising their concerns, because they feel their voices are not heard. This ultimately effects their ability to advocate for patients.
Other potential challenges can include:
- High workloads
- Insufficient leadership support
- Lack of training opportunities for skill development
- Staffing shortages
Strategies Nursing Students Can Use to Build Teamwork Skills
To prepare for a nursing career, students can improve their teamwork skills through consistent practice.
1. Practice With Peers During Skills and Simulation Labs
Early in your nursing education, you can start learning how to collaborate effectively. Skills and simulation labs during nursing school are a safe and supportive setting for developing a collaborative mindset.
In skills labs, you’ll learn how to perform hands-on tasks like placing an IV, taking vitals and interviewing patients. While practicing nursing skills with peers, you’ll be able to consult them or your instructor on how to improve and to address questions.
In simulation labs, you’ll take the skills you’ve learned and apply them to patient care scenarios. You’ll work alongside your peers to care for high-fidelity manikins. These exercises will teach you to become comfortable managing a variety of health situations, such as childbirth, wound care and cardiac arrest.
Each simulation requires you and a small group of your peers to work closely together to identify the patient’s problems and develop appropriate nursing responses. You’ll refine your communication skills, learn about task delegation and practice leadership skills.
2. Learn How Nurses Work Together During Clinical Rotations
In addition to gaining experience through nursing labs, you can strengthen your teamwork skills by making the most of your clinical rotations. Clinicals expose you to how nursing works in the real world. You’ll work alongside professional nurses and practice taking care of patients.
During clinical experiences, you’ll see how much the nursing staff works with each other and other members of the care team. This teamwork ensures their patients are safe and supported during their treatment and recovery.
Maximize your clinical experience with these actionable tips.
3. Form a Study Group
A study group is another great way to practice collaborating with peers. Study groups provide academic support, accountability and camaraderie. Look for peers in your cohort who share similar study styles and goals, and meet weekly or biweekly to study for your nursing courses and exams. Together as a group, you can do flashcards, complete practice questions and work through challenging topics.
4. Stay Humble and Ask Questions
You can foster teamwork in nursing school by turning to your peers and professors; they serve as a resource when you don’t understand something. If you’re confused, speak up and ask those around you for clarification.
Your professors are here to help you succeed, and they encourage students to approach them with questions. When asking your peers for help, they’ll also benefit, as teaching others about concepts reinforces learning retention. A key part of mastering teamwork is accepting that you have much to learn and can ask for help.
5. Learn Your Peers’ Strengths
You can improve your teamwork skills by striving to optimize the strengths of your peers. Everyone has strengths and weaknesses, and when you start working as a nurse, you’ll learn the unique strengths of everyone on the healthcare team.
For example, it’s not uncommon for a nurse to request help placing an IV when a patient’s veins are challenging to access, particularly when another nurse in the unit excels at it. Similarly, you might consult a team member about wound care if they are certified in that area. In this manner, collaboration can help ensure patients receive the quality care they need. It also provides more opportunities to learn.
6. Practice Gratitude
Gratitude is a key component of teamwork in nursing. Acknowledge the value of each person you work with in nursing school and throughout your career.
Show gratitude to your professors for educating you, thank your peers for supporting you and recognize your loved ones for cheering you on in your journey to become a nurse. It takes many people to help you reach your dream, and it’s important to thank others for their role in the process.
By practicing a grateful mindset in nursing school, you’ll learn to have the same mindset in your career as a nurse. Showing appreciation to the other providers who help you during your shifts will go a long way toward building rapport.
Preparing for a Collaborative Nursing Career at Averett
If you have a non-nursing bachelor’s degree or at least 60 non-nursing college credits, you may be eligible for Averett’s ABSN program. Our admissions advisors will determine if you need to take any prerequisites before applying. We offer three start dates each year, so you can get started sooner.
Contact an admissions advisor today and take the first step toward a collaborative nursing career.