Five Elements to Consider for Building Healthcare Teams

Healthcare leaders should consider these five elements when integrating nurse practitioners (NPs) and physician assistants (PAs) on a multi-disciplinary team.

In working with academic and organizational healthcare leaders nationwide, we have had many discussions on the topic of team building. The innovative approach opted at the Clinic Lerner College of Medicine at the Case Western Reserve for educating healthcare providers on the importance of team building includes the opportunity to discuss patient care from a variety of professional points of view. Scott Wilkes, Assistant Dean at the Case School of Social Work, points out role clarity as one of the key elements of success in building teams. The process of defining and communicating the role of each team member can help healthcare providers learn collaborative skills. One of the biggest mistakes teams make when adding nurse practitioners and physician assistants to a team is not clearly defining the roles of these providers and not aligning the role with the full scope of practice as defined by AANP and AAPA.

Five elements to consider when building teams

• Communication: Create a communication strategy inclusive of all team members to include a strategic directive, and operational plan, with clear metrics, and with a solid reporting strategy.
• Metrics: Effective performance management process (consider including a team measurement on a balanced scorecard): including self-evaluation, feedback, clearly defined and communicated (to all team members and at all levels within the organization) standards and expectations.
• Clarity: Provide a role definition for each team member, inclusive of autonomy and authority within the role, and clearly communicate this to all team members.
• Personal development: Develop leadership skills and capabilities for all team members on an ongoing basis.
• Goal alignment: Make optimal patient care and outcomes the number one priority on healthcare teams. In addition, provide ongoing education and training for team members.

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This article was originally published on Melnic. It was recently acquired by DirectShifts.