Career Tips

Leadership and interprofessional collaboration in healthcare

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Nursing leadership can be demonstrated in every type of nursing assignment. No matter the level you aspire to, acquiring and developing the skill sets of effective leaders will enhance your career not only day to day but also in the long term. And if you aspire to executive-level nursing leadership, formal education will set a firm foundation for excellence in the future.

Collaborative practice is working with other health workers from differing professional backgrounds with patients, families, carers, and communities to deliver high-quality care across various settings.

According to the World Health Professional Alliance, effective professional collaboration between healthcare workers will lead to a comprehensive, coordinated, and safe healthcare system responsive to the population’s needs.

It states that collaborative teams should have complementary skills to access the appropriate professional at the right time in the best place. In addition, administrative systems, including human resources, budget setting, and financial planning, should all support the collaborative approach, which should span all services, from preventative to curative and from rehabilitative to palliative.

Benefits include improved patient care and outcomesSome hospitals have team-based, patient-centered rounds that include key personnel and improved hospital communication technology to help move information between departments. For instance, a patient with chest pains could be looked after by an Emergency Department doctor, then referred to a cardiologist, who then orders some tests. They could also have surgery, be looked after by nurses in that department, then move onto a ward, where other specialists will take over. And on being discharged, they could be referred to physical therapists or dietitians. These professionals will have a perspective and valuable insights about the patient, and effective collaboration between them will mean a better patient experience.

In a report published in the National Library of Medicine, collaboration in healthcare has been shown to reduce preventable adverse drug reactions, decrease morbidity and mortality rates, and optimize medication dosage, improving overall patient outcomes.

Collaborative Leadership

Collaborative leadership leads to shared responsibility and accountability, aiming to bring managers, executives, and staff to work together. Information should be shared, and everyone should take responsibility. This is different from the more traditional top-down organizational models where a small group controls the flow of information.

Within healthcare, a more inter-professional collaborative approach has evolved with the development of new strategies and ways of working, striving to respond to a growing need for services amongst uses and meeting the needs of a modern health system.

Effective leadership practices within a collaborative health environment should inclu the followingdeWe engaging doctors, nurses, and other caregivers in the shared ownership of the patient’s journey through healthcare by using constructive dialogue and listening skills across all roles creating an environment that actively supports learning and the ability to adapt to change they are instituting collaborative decision-making and problem-solving with all members of a team is identifying, developing, and retaining leadership talent required to create and implement change at a time of rapid change is creating a culture that encourages and values respect and professional practice to be effective; collaborative leaders need to communicate openly and honestly, striving for solutions that are in the interests of the organization as a whole with patient care at the center. Openness with others about decision-making is also crucial, as it should create trust and understanding. Additionally, the formulation of shared goals and encouragement to discuss with othermamakeslear expectations that working with others is part of the process.

Nurse executives as leaders

There are many leaders within the healthcare system. Nurse executives are members of the profession that take on these responsibilities. They are the highest-ranking nurses within an organization, overseeing patient care policies, procedures, and organizational processes that ensure a workplace is efficient and adheres to best practices. They collaborate with department leaders, other stakeholders, and external parties to help the organization they work within meet its goals.

Duties include managing the nursing team and other personnel, interviewing, hiring, ng, and training new nurses, managing departmental budgets, and maintaining professional and ethical standards. They may also lead or plan ongoing training, evaluate processes and developments, and implement updated strategies to improve patient care.

They also need to keep up to date with their training and qualificationsupdateng their knowledge as required, and being aware of developments within healthcare and education. This could be done by attending workshops, and seminars, reading websites and publications, and taking academic courses.

Further education for leaders

Healthcare leaders must adapt and nurture their knowledge and skills in a rapidly changing environment to move forward. Nurse leaders can improve their nursing executive skills with an online course that fits their working life.

Baylor University’s Louise Herrington School of Nursing Online provides ongoing education and professional development for executive nurse leaders with a range of programs leading to a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP), which focuses on the wide variety of skills needed for executive positions. Subjects covered include interdepartmental collaboration, management and communication styles, policy development priorities, healthcare finance, and much more.

A nursing and healthcare management career will bring the rewards of being involved in a profession that cares for and nurtures those who need help and a long and secure job with prospects for advancement and progress. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment of medical and health service managers is expected to grow 28 percent between 2021 and 2031, which is faster than the average for all occupations, and there are predicted to be 56,000 openings for jobs in these roles one year on average over those ten years.

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