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Essay / Understanding the mechanics of a nursing team - 1293
Participating in teamwork is an important part of a nurse's daily schedule. Understanding how a team works is essential. After all, it can lead to better utilization of a team within any organization and further improve results. Nursing could certainly benefit from a high-performing team after all, “teams make fewer mistakes than individuals” (Miller, Riley, & Davis, 2009, p. 248). Therefore, measures must be put in place to ensure that teams are operating at high capacity. One way to monitor team success is to use a team assessment questionnaire. The team questionnaire provides insight into areas of the team that are working and addresses areas that might need an overhaul. The questionnaire ultimately provides direction to the team using thought-provoking questions. When using the questionnaire to assess the benefits of a team meeting. The questionnaire highlighted a gap in the area of roles while most other areas such as activities, relationships and environment performed well; there was still room for improvement. The purpose of this article is to evaluate team performance based on the results of the teamwork questionnaire. A team is made up of two or more individuals who come together for a common goal (Baker, Day, & Sales, 2006). A recent team initiative called huddle was instituted at my facilities on several pilot units. These initial huddles proved successful and were implemented in my unit three weeks ago as a directive from our senior management. The huddle is a brief nursing team meeting that occurs several times a day and lasts approximately five to ten minutes. Meeting time will vary by day to include all shifts and nursing staff. Additionally, groups will consist of all nurses available on the unit and will be led by the manager or charge nurse. Team meetings are documented in a binder and can be viewed by all staff. This team initiative was implemented on the same day that a new admission process was taking place in the unit. The main objectives of the team will therefore be to disseminate information and discuss problems that hinder the flow of patients in the ambulatory surgery unit. The most deficient area in the product team assessment was in the roles category. Gaps would be appropriate as caucuses are a new concept during a critical transition. Team members and unit issues will vary daily, which can contribute to uncertainty about the nurse's roles and responsibilities..