The value of being a whole team

Have you ever felt that you are not really part of the team and that your opinion is not taken seriously? Or you are afraid to offer an opinion?

Sadly, this is the reality for some health professionals, so as you read this blog, I would like to challenge you to think about why this happens and the repercussions of not ‘being’ a whole team and how can we change this.

Every discipline in health care is integral to the assessment, planning, implementation, and evaluation of care, but this is not always supported as the culture of care.

“Keeping control” of situations or “I have a deeper knowledge and understanding” “I am in charge of the unit/ward.” These are all things that we have heard over the years and yes, “we get it” that there has to be someone to take overall responsibility, but this does not mean that other people need to be “shut out.”

Who do you think suffers when we don’t work as a team? I am sure that you would agree with me that everyone suffers.

There are numerous layers within the concept of ‘being’ a whole team including wanting to feel valued and respected which some find difficult to reciprocate due to their own insecurities and or their own agenda and they will often exhibit a dismissive and uncaring manner, or they may pay you ‘lip service.”

We need to remind ourselves of why we are here. The people we care for are at the core of what we do, and they matter. There are people out there that would also like to be involved in their own care and family members that would like to participate in their loved one’s care.

Everyone comes to the table with a unique perspective and a different knowledge base and ideas and when they are integrated the results can be so powerful, therefore benefiting the people we are caring for.

We all like to keep ‘control’ in our lives and that is why we need to promote and respect the wishes of people to be involved in their own care and encourage participation in the planning of care.

 When we all “come together” and value one another we become a powerful entity and one of inclusiveness, support, and an acknowledgement of mutual respect that-

“You Matter”