To guarantee that nursing’s voice is heard, unity within the profession should be fostered. Hopper (2018) states that nurse unity may be conceived as a mosaic of many connected nursing pieces in a complicated system working towards a single coherent conclusion, much like a powerful art piece. Nurses from various disciplines and backgrounds should engage together to discover shared goals and offer voice and power to progress to build a healthy, growing community and world (Hopper, 2018). The paper discusses unity and evaluates strategies for its promotion within the nursing profession.
The Significance of Unity
Although nursing is conducted in a broad range of settings and by nurses with different degrees and types of education, there is a core of nursing that underpins nursing practice. According to several nursing theorists, nursing is a cohesive and coherent unity of practice comprised of various distinct characteristics that influence and affect each other, nursing education, and nursing practice (Green, 2018). Furthermore, nursing has its character and ontological structure, which are united by the objective of preventing sickness, promoting health and well-being, relieving pain and suffering, and providing care.
More coherence in the philosophy of care is connected with higher person-centered care. This notion is consistent with previous research indicating that conveying objectives and visions are critical for delivering high-quality care (Rutten et al., 2018). Collaboration between leaders, care personnel, clients, and family members is suggested to promote unity in care philosophy and shared values. Leaders may explore promoting cooperation via periodic review, using team-building interventions such as coaching to encourage teamwork within care teams, and enlisting the active participation of clients and family members (Rutten et al., 2018). Unity or cooperation is vital in every nursing team because it helps the team to succeed.
The integration of moving pieces is required in today’s increasingly complicated healthcare setting. Any failure in the system impacts the patient outcome, from patient admission to assessment through therapy and follow-up (“How to promote teamwork,” 2020). Nursing teamwork is vital for providing excellent patient care and maintaining a healthy work environment. Notably, the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) highlights the concept’s importance of unity-based care (“How to promote teamwork,” 2020). The main components of teamwork regarding an AANP policy statement are communication, coordination, and joint efforts (“How to promote teamwork,” 2020). Hence, a successful team revolves around the patient and has collective interests for quantifiable results. Nurses regularly employ collaboration skills, from communicating with other nurses to formulating treatment plans with doctors. Working together as a team is critical for avoiding medical mistakes, increasing patient care, and creating a more efficient system. Nursing unity is necessary because it fosters effective and transparent communication among healthcare providers, boosting their capacity to provide patient care (Indeed Editorial Team, 2021). Thus, nurses who employ teamwork effectively can achieve numerous advantages, including increased job satisfaction, better patient care, operational efficiencies, and stronger professional ties.
Strategies for Promoting Teamwork or Unity
A team in regular care might consist of as few as a medical clerk, a registered nurse (RN), and a primary care practitioner. In complex care settings, specialists such as therapists, pharmacists, and nutritionists may be considered (“How to promote teamwork,” 2020). For critical concerns, teams may comprise nurses at various levels, experts of different specializations, technicians, social workers, and pastors (“How to promote teamwork,” 2020). Teamwork allows each team member to assume responsibility for specific patient care areas in nursing.
Effective communication keeps all health care team members focused on a common purpose. Misunderstanding during transition can result in prescription mistakes, therapy inefficiencies, and unsuitable treatments (“How to promote teamwork,” 2020). For instance, misconception during care transitions is responsible for around twenty-eight percent of adverse surgical outcomes (“How to promote teamwork,” 2020). When health care providers work together, communication improves. Teams lessen the likelihood of mistakes, particularly errors in health records and treatment procedures. Nurses should utilize written and verbal communication to interact with other nurses and health care professionals and foster a team culture (Indeed Editorial Team, 2021). Additionally, it is critical to consider training and activities to improve their communication abilities. Effective communication can not only enhance collaboration in nursing but also result in a higher level of commitment and motivation among the nursing workforce.
Transparency on the team requires being open and forthright with nursing colleagues and patients. The Indeed Editorial Team (2021) claims that it promotes teamwork by ensuring that everyone in a unit possesses the same knowledge, objectives, and ethical standards. Transparency is urged by taking full chart notes for each patient and frequent monitoring with the nursing staff to ensure the progress of strategic targets (Indeed Editorial Team, 2021). Keeping the team up to date on current demands can offer nurses the opportunity to learn while also preventing burnout.
Role classification fosters transparency to facilitate team communication. According to the Indeed Editorial Team (2021), nurses ensure that everyone completes their allocated work without unintentional duplication of responsibilities by creating realistic expectations for each team member. When team members understand who performs each function, it is easier to acquire critical information and execute daily duties. The strategies for developing nursing team roles that foster cooperation include setting each job scope in a shared document that every nursing team member can view and equitably allocating activities that focus on training and experience (Indeed Editorial Team, 2021). Updating the record to incorporate any modifications or adjustments regularly is necessary. When new employees enter the healthcare team, they may rapidly learn about nursing workflow processes by reviewing the paper.
Team members may have the chance to belong to a collective if they have group autonomy. Both-Nwabuwe et al. (2019) argue that individual freedom has a detrimental impact on group cohesion because it directs emphasis on the individual, reducing perceived group identity and unity. Personal autonomy is thus likely to be negatively associated with experiences of connection with others. Balancing tensions is critical since substantial individual freedom encourages employees to focus on themselves, which may not be balanced concentrate on the group’s requirements (Both-Nwabuwe et al., 2019). The imbalance causes a conflict between satisfying individual team member’s needs and the group’s requirements. Healthcare providers have explored various sorts of autonomy, from personal empowerment to self-managing teams. According to Both-Nwabuwe et al. (2019), healthcare organizations should invest attention and resources in increasing professional independence. Therefore, nurses will have increased job satisfaction and positive work outcomes.
Being flexible and adaptive can empower nursing team members when they need assistance. According to the Indeed Editorial Team (2021), nurses may give individualized care to each patient and effectively manage unforeseen scenarios by fostering flexibility within the team. Nurses need to become more versatile by paying attention to their environment and being ready to assist. Problem-solving abilities should be used to restructure work so that each team member may complete their priority (Indeed Editorial Team, 2021). Shadowing coworkers and understanding their nursing style is another way to develop flexibility and unity. Discovering new skills from one another can allow nurses to operate better together.
The value of high-quality healthcare leadership in shaping organizational culture and unity cannot be overstated, with strong leaders emphasizing the need to provide safe and compassionate treatment. Best (2020) acknowledges that influential leaders ensure that patients’ voices are considered, the staff is managed in an empathic and ethical manner, and the need for continual professional development is essential to enhance service delivery. Outstanding nursing leaders demonstrate servant leadership by volunteering and advocating (Best, 2020). A nurse servant leader attempts to understand the staff’s concerns and constantly inquire about how they can support the workforce in resolving challenges and promoting personal growth. The servant leader addresses the needs of others and supports their professional development. Eva et al. (2019) assert that servant leadership is a multifaceted strategy that engages members in several dimensions, such as interpersonal, ethical, and psychological, to enable them to evolve into the individuals they are capable of becoming. Its primary goal is cultivating followers based on the leaders’ altruistic and ethical inclinations (Eva et al., 2019). When the well-being and development of followers are valued, they are more motivated and successful in their job, which positively influences unity.
Conclusion
In today’s increasingly complex healthcare environment, unity should be promoted. Regular training will help to enforce servant leadership style and improve nursing skills. Each nursing team member may contribute more to the team’s collective capabilities if they increase their skills and competencies. Effective communication will keep all health care team members focused on a common objective. Hence, nurse leaders may provide chances for the team to review nursing fundamentals and enroll in programs to learn new, creative healthcare techniques. It is critical to train as a team by instituting a mentorship or coaching program through which each worker may share their specific skills with the team. Thus, healthcare organizations should devote money and resources to improving group autonomy. Increasing unity and cultivating collaboration can be achieved by allowing everyone to gain knowledge about their interests and learn from others. Moreover, learning new abilities from one another can help nurses operate better together.
References
Best, C. (2020). Is there a place for servant leadership in nursing? Practice Nursing, 31(3), 128-132.
Both-Nwabuwe, J. M. C., Lips-Wiersma, M., Dijkstra, M. T. M., & Beersma, B. (2019). Understanding the autonomy- meaningful work relationship in nursing: A theoretical framework. Nursing Outlook, 68(1), 104-113.
Eva, N., Robin, M., Sendjaya, S., Van Dierendonck, D., & Liden, R. C. (2019). Servant leadership: A systematic review and call for future research. The Leadership Quarterly, 30(1), 111-132.
Green, C. (2018). A philosophical model of the nature of nursing. Nursing Research, 67(2), 93–98.
Hopper, A. (2018). Nurse unity: A powerful work of art. The Free Library.
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Indeed Editorial Team. (2021). How to improve teamwork in nursing. Indeed.
Rutten, J. E., Backhaus, R., Tan, F., Prins, M., van der Roest, H., Heijkants, C., Hamers, J. P. H., & Verbeek, H. (2021). Work environment and person‐centred dementia care in nursing homes—A cross‐sectional study. Journal of Nursing Management, 29(7), 2314-2322.