Capella FPX 4005 Assessment 1

Name

Capella university

NURS-FPX4005 Nursing Leadership: Focusing on People, Processes, and Organizations

Prof. Name

Date

Part 2: Reflection on Leadership and Interprofessional Collaboration

Leadership and consultation are crucial in nursing practice, especially in coping with the complex needs of patients. I was part of many interdisciplinary team meetings to develop care plans. One specific experience proved to be a turning point towards appreciating the direct effects of such leadership and teamwork. This reflection will touch upon that experience, discuss leadership approaches taken up, and find evidence-based strategies to improve performance.

Interdisciplinary Collaboration Experience

While performing rotations in a hospital in the medical/surgical unit, I was involved in the care of a geriatric patient with a myriad of chronic conditions, including diabetes, heart failure, and early-stage dementia. The case was a joint effort of the nursing team, physician, dietitian, pharmacist, and social worker. Initially, there was a lack of clarity about the medication regimen and planning for discharge, which resulted in confusion and thus caused delay. However, the charge nurse played a facilitative leadership role as she organized a case conference. Each discipline shared their perspective: the pharmacist had identified drug interactions that would arise, and the dietitian had adjusted the meal plan to consider that and the social worker had addressed concerns about home care support. Consequently, a cohesive strategy to engage the patient was made, and the patient left home with proper follow-up care. The openness and respect shown between the two parties that collaborated and agreed to move forward helped lead to the success of the collaboration. However, it became clear that those outcomes only emerged once strong leadership was engaged to unite the team; otherwise, original disorganization delayed care and added patient risk.

Capella FPX 4005 Assessment 1

Comparison of Effective and Ineffective Leadership

During the early stage of the patient’s care, the lack of leadership was reactive and not proactive. Medical management was the main area of attention for the attending physician, while no interdisciplinary coordination was initiated. This leave-alone practice led to confusion and lost opportunities in early intervention. On the other hand, the charge nurse demonstrated transformational leadership by taking charge of the team members and encouraging them. The dignity of all team members was respected, and autonomy was facilitated, accompanied by clear indications of direction, emotional intelligence, and inclusivity as effective leadership. Poor leadership had no coordination, poor delegation of duties, and failed to unite team members. These shortcomings hindered collaboration and negatively impacted the team’s ability to respond effectively.

Best-Practice Leadership Strategies

Researchers advocate for the use of transformational leadership as a way of advancing team effectiveness and quality outcomes. As reported by Ystaas et al. (2023), transformational leaders bring out a sense of shared vision, stimulate open communication, and encourage initiative in team members. These qualities were manifested in the charge nurse, who motivated the team to work cohesively. It is also a best-practice leadership strategy to deploy structured communication tools like SBAR (Situation, Background, Assessment, or Recommendation). These tools enhance the process of decision-making and coordination among health professionals (Etemadifar et al., 2021). Leaders who advocate for such frameworks bring accountability and clarity to the state.

Best-Practice Interdisciplinary Collaboration Strategies

Interdisciplinary collaboration to work effectively demands not just the professionals’ involvement but also structure, mutual respect, and an open communication channel. A good practice initiative that could better facilitate collaboration is interprofessional rounds, in which team members meet regularly at the patient’s site to consult on care in real time. Research indicates, it enhances care coordination and increases patient satisfaction (Heip et al., 2020). Finally, relational coordination – a model that focuses on regular, timely, accurate communication with shared goals that reinforce teamwork and enhance outcomes (Wiedermann et al., 2024). These strategies ensure alignment of disciplines and reduce gaps in care delivery.

Leadership Development Goals

In order to better promote interdisciplinary collaboration strategies, I need to continue growing my skills as a transformational leader, particularly as it relates to team motivation, proactive communication, and conflict resolution. I intend to develop these skills by finding a nurse leader mentor with transformational qualities, attending workshops on leadership, and, post-interprofessional meetings, engaging in reflective practice. In addition, enrollments in continuous learning with a focus on team-based care and emotional intelligence can assist with developing my skills in inspiring, influencing, and uniting disparate teams towards the common patient-centered mission (Khademi et al., 2021).

Conclusion

Interdisciplinary collaboration and strong leadership are essential for safe, effective patient care. Transformational leadership and structured communication strategies can significantly enhance team performance. I can better support collaborative efforts and improve patient outcomes by continuing to develop my leadership skills.

References

Etemadifar, S., Sedighi, Z., Sedehi, M., & Masoudi, R. (2021). The effect of situation, background, assessment, recommendation-based safety program on patient safety culture in intensive care unit nurses. Journal of Education and Health Promotion, 10(1), 422. https://doi.org/10.4103/jehp.jehp_1273_20 

Heip, T., Hecke, A. V., Malfait, S., Biesen, W. V., & Eeckloo, K. (2020). The effects of interdisciplinary bedside rounds on patient centeredness, quality of care, and team collaboration. Journal of Patient Safety, 18(1). https://doi.org/10.1097/pts.0000000000000695 

Khademi, E., Abdi, M., Saeidi, M., Piri, S., & Mohammadian, R. (2021). Emotional intelligence and quality of nursing care: A need for continuous professional development. Iranian Journal of Nursing and Midwifery Research, 26(4), 361–367. https://doi.org/10.4103/ijnmr.ijnmr_268_19 

Capella FPX 4005 Assessment 1

Wiedermann, C. J., Barbieri, V., Engl, A., & Piccoliori, G. (2024). Relational coordination at the primary–secondary care interface: Insights from a cross-sectional survey in the South Tyrolean healthcare system. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health/International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 21(4), 425–425. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph21040425 

Ystaas, L. M. K., Nikitara, M., Ghobrial, S., Latzourakis, E., Polychronis, G., & Constantinou, C. S. (2023). The impact of transformational leadership in the nursing work environment and patients’ outcomes: A systematic review. Nursing Reports, 13(3), 1271–1290. https://doi.org/10.3390/nursrep13030108