Developing a Culture of Interprofessional Collaboration

As the chief nursing officer (CNO) of a large metropolitan hospital, Jesse has established a strong reputation as a “mover and shaker” in nursing leadership circles. He is greatly admired by his colleagues who are CNOs at other hospitals in the region. For the most part, Jesse is proud of his many accomplishments and very satisfied in his current role at the hospital, but lately he has been feeling restless and is concerned that the entire organization could do a better job of creative thinking to address needed changes to ensure excellence in patient care, excellence in the work environment, and excellence in individual professionalism. For this and more essays

Jesse shares his concerns with his colleagues on the hospital executive team, and they all reassure him that he should simply be satisfied with the hospital’s reputation as a premier place to work, receive care, and practice professionally. Despite his colleagues’ opinions, Jesse feels that there is an opportunity to make the best even better. He feels that there are a number of age-old issues confronting nursing that never seem to be completely addressed or resolved. The notion of interprofessional practice and collaboration is one example. Jesse realizes that the nursing profession has talked about the importance of interprofessional practice for at least 45 years, and in 2010, interprofessional practice was cited as critical for optimal patient outcomes in the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Future of Nursing report, the Institute of Healthcare Improvement’s report, and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality’s report.

Developing a Culture of Interprofessional Collaboration

Jesse realized that the healthcare literature is replete with articles citing the benefits of interprofessional collaboration and its importance in enhancing job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and professionalism and for minimizing job stress and interprofessional conflicts. In spite of all of the evidence and rhetoric about interprofessional collaboration, Jesse realized that the hospital had not achieved interprofessional collaboration or practice. Although the hospital had made great strides in improving the organizational culture by addressing behavioral standards and values that were to be the norm for every employee and every physician affiliated with the hospital, there were many instances when physicians practiced very independently from the nurses caring for their patients.