The interaction between team members in the health industry is extremely important as it might have an impact on the life of the patient. Healthcare workers, including doctors, nurses, laboratory assistants, have to act together to perform in the most efficient way and to achieve the required results. The purpose of this paper is to describe the dialogue between the caregivers and analyze it in the framework of my personal experience.
I was a witness to the conversation between a doctor and a nurse in the governmental hospital. The topic of the dialogue was the nurse’s complaint about the lack of freedom and responsibility that negatively affected her efficiency in the process of treating patients. The woman wanted more space for the maneuver and the possibility to make several decisions on her own. However, the doctor put forward the argument that she did not have the required level of education. In his opinion, this issue might have caused not only the decline in the patient’s well-being but also legal problems as she did not have the license for this practice. I decided not to interrupt the conversation, but I thought that the doctor was not completely right.
There are various modern researches proving the hypothesis that, in some cases, the experienced nurse performs better than the other healthcare worker. The authors of the study concerning doctor-nurse relationships claim that the results of this pair are much higher if a nurse has her own sphere of responsibility and access to the medical indicators (Fournier, 2018). What is more, the level of trust between the team members also has to be taken into consideration as it directly influences the quality of the treatment (Fournier, 2018). It is essential to mention that concerning the described situation, it is necessary to point out that the dialogue could have been in another place so that ordinary people could not hear it. Moreover, the doctor had to be more respectful to his colleague and act more politely.
The image of healthcare workers should always be positive in the eyes of the hospital’s visitors. This is the reason why the most severe mistake, in my view, was that they did not work as a team who is ready to support each other in any situation. Although they should have changed the place, and the time of discussion, the conversation between the two professionals was argumentative and constructive. If I were one of the members of the dialogue, I would not have discussed the problem on the individual level, or in the form of a complaint. Instead, I would have organized an official meeting with the leaders and the experts of the hospital in order to find the most convenient solution for everyone.
As for my future practice, this situation was highly cautionary for me. First of all, I understood the role of healthcare workers in creating a good image of the hospital. Secondly, I realized that I would discuss the problems in the place without patients. For the visitors, my colleagues and I should always look like a team that acts together and has an agreed plan of treatment. Finally, there should not be a strict hierarchy among the staff members as sometimes experience or specific knowledge might play a more important role than the level of education or the quantity of rescued patients. For the teamwork in the hospital trust in each other and respect for every worker is the key to success.
Reference
Fournier, C., Bourgeois, I., & Naiditch, M. (2018). Doctor–nurse cooperation through ASALEE (Team Health Project in Private Practice: A space where primary care practices are being transformed. QES, 232(4), 1–8.