QSEN: Teamwork and Collaboration

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QSEN: Teamwork and Collaboration

Competencies developed by organizations 

such as the Quality and Safety Education 

for Nurses Institute (QSEN)

http://qsen.org/competencies/ and the National League for Nursing (NLN) 

http://www.nln.org/professional-development-programs/competencies-for-nursing-

education/nurse-educator-core-competency  have been designed to guide nurses and healthcare providers in improving the quality and safety of care (Sherwood & Zomorodi, 2014). These competencies are of great importance not only to nurse educator students as they develop practicum projects, but to all nursing students as they align with the expectations of how students should perform in the real world work environment.  QSEN lists six basic competencies all based around developing the Knowledge, Skills and Attitudes (KSAs) of nurses (QSEN, 2016).   This blog will address the competency of Teamwork and Collaboration which, at it's essence, is defined as being able to function effectively within nursing and interprofessional teams, foster open communication, mutual respect, and shared decision-making to achieve quality patient care (Sherwood & Zomorodi, 2014 p.18).  Looking at some of the areas of focus delineated under each of the headings; Knowledge, Skills, and Attitudes and providing a summary of expectations for providers to meet each competency it will be discussed how this competency affects most practicum projects and their creation, including the one currently underway.

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How the Competencies Will Affect Most Practicum Projects.

Healthcare recognizes that quality and safety issues attribute to many errors that lead to patient harm or death (Sherwood & Zomorodi, 2014).  Many of these errors could be prevented if only there were a system of good communication in place.  Because communication and collaboration are the roots of teamwork, good communication skills are essential (Sherwood & Zomorodi, 2014).  Traditional didactic nursing programs do not prepare students with the appropriate communication skills. As a result, graduates are often unprepared in the stressful situations of the workplace to perform them effectively (Madhavanpraphakaran, 2012; Windle, 2015; Lewis et al., 2013). With this in mind, remembering the primary goal of the QSEN is to establish a culture of change that is directed at providing quality care in a safe environment practicum programs need to be altered accordingly (Lewis, Stephens, & Ciak, 2016).  Part of that change involves the introduction of the competency skills starting on day one of the nursing program, with attention being paid to the culture of patient safety (Madhavanpraphakaran, 2012).  Nursing organizations also understand that humans make mistakes and moving away from a punitive culture to one that uses an error to teach students, further encourages open communication (Madhavanpraphakaran, 2012).

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Their Importance in the Creation Of Any Practicum Project.

 The QSEN core competencies provide a means for the development of consistent, cohesive goals and provide a mutual language that helps to enhance communication (Windle, 2015).  Attempting to create a curriculum that can integrate competencies such as the Collaboration and Teamwork competency, that are more conceptual and less content laden requires the inclusion of new, multifocal approaches (Lewis, Stephens, & Ciak, 2016). Incorporation of strategies such as role-play using low-fidelity and preceptorships allow for critical assessment and offer students the opportunity to analyze, reflect upon and critique clinical decisions made by themselves or others (Jeffries, 2007 as cited in Sharpnack, & Madigan, 2012).  While performing these critical assessments with peers and preceptors, students gain communication and collaboration skills as they learn to identify safety precautions being carried out during routine care (Madhavanpraphakaran, 2012).  These more active educational strategies encourage participation and shift focus from lecture and note taking, to acting, doing and learning.

                                                                              www.tes.com

The Relevancy of the Competency To the Practicum Project Underway.

Using research on the competencies and methods to incorporate them into the education of the front office staff at Renal and Electrolyte Associates office, a project has been created with a focus on building a team centered and collaborative efforts inside of the office that will ultimately benefit the patients seen in the office.  Receptionists play a key role in any medical office as they have high levels of interaction with patients, facilitate communication, and provide support for clinical staff (Albardiaz, 2012).  Fresenius Medical Care, the parent organization shares this belief and includes collaboration as one of its pillars in their vision and mission statement (FMC, 2016).  Ensuring that the receptionists are treated as a member of the team through the inclusion of education activities brings greater satisfaction and helps to increase their communication skills, bringing greater patient satisfaction (Bernardi da Costa et al., 2015; Sinaei,2011).  Acknowledging the diverse skills that all members of the team bring to the table allows for further insight and betterment of the group (Gruppen, 2014).  Using one the learning activities mentioned earlier, role-playing would allow the staff to learn skills in a safe environment (Rao, & Stupans, 2012).  Having the senior members work with the newer members during this will help to instill that sense of preceptorship and encourage the newer members to seek out the more experienced members as resources for continuing education endeavors.  On the other end of this spectrum, the more experienced members will develop greater self-esteem by helping with the activity and through the continued growth of their protégé (Gruppen, 2014; Rao, & Stupans, 2012). 

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Conclusion

The QSEN Teamwork and collaboration competency is one of the six core competencies designed to promote a culture of safety and have a great effect on the design and implementation of practicum projects, including the one currently underway.  Understanding that communication is an important component of collaboration and teamwork active learning strategies that encourage critical analysis such as reflection, analysis, and critique are favored over traditional didactic teaching methods (Sherwood & Zomorodi, 2014; Madhavanpraphakaran, 2012). Competencies have been created to provide a mutually accepted language for educators to design goals that illuminate the desired culture of safety from day one of nursing education programs and continuing through to the very end (Windle, 2015).  The project being performed for the Renal and Electrolyte Associates staff is no exception to this rule.  Promoting teamwork and teaching communication skills through a carefully designed program that recognizes the role they play in the office will help them gain confidence and satisfaction that will then be conveyed to the patients (Sinaei, 2011).

References

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for receptionists and ancillary staff. Education for Primary Care, 23(1), 44-46. Bernardi da Costa, D., Domingues Garcia, S., Oliveira Vannuchi, M. T., & Lourenço

Haddad, M. C. (2015). Impact of staff training in the health working process: an integrative review. Journal Of Nursing UFPE / Revista de Enfermagem UFPE, 9(4), 7439-7447 9p. doi:10.5205/reuol.7275-62744-1-SM.0904201532.

FMC homepage: About us (2015), Fresenius Medical Care. Accessed 20 May, 2016

          

            http://www.freseniusmedicalcare.us/en/home/about-us/overview-about-us/

Gruppen, L. D. (2014). Humility and respect: core values in medical education. Medical

            

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Lewis, D. Y., Stephens, K. P., & Ciak, A. D. (2016). QSEN: Curriculum integration and

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Lewis, D., O'Boyle-Duggan, M., Chapman, J., Dee, P., Sellner, K., & Gorman, S. (2013).

'Putting words into action' project: using role play in skills training. British 

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Nurse Educator Core Competency (2016). NLN Accesses 19 May, 2016. 

http://www.nln.org/professional-development-programs/competencies-for-nursing-

education/nurse-educator-core-competency

QSEN (2016). Competencies.  Accessed 19 May, 2016 http://qsen.org/competencies/

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Sharpnack, P. P., & Madigan, E. A. (2012). Using low-fidelity simulation with

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