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Running Head: THE KEY TO HEALTHCARE INTERPROFESSIONAL

COLLABORATION

The Key to Healthcare Interprofessional Collaboration

Ashely Murphy

James Madison University

NSG 463

November 6, 2022
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Running Head: THE KEY TO HEALTHCARE INTERPROFESSIONAL
COLLABORATION

The healthcare field has a magnitude of diverse professions. Doctors, nurse practitioners,

nurses, pharmacists, and other health care professionals come together as a multidisciplinary

team to achieve the goal of providing optimum care to patients. In order to accomplish this, each

healthcare professional has to become articulate in collaborating in an interprofessional setting.

Interprofessional collaboration occurs when health professionals communicate transparently,

collaboratively, and responsibly with one another, with patients and their families (Karam et al.,

2018). This paper takes a look at a nurse practitioner’s perspective on the role of

interprofessional collaboration and its importance within the healthcare field.

Caroline Fasanelli is a family nurse practitioner who works in the emergency room. She

has worked as a nurse practitioner for 7 years and has worked within the ER for 4 years where

she helps stabilize patients and help coordinate their treatment. Prior to being a family nurse

practitioner, Caroline was a registered nurse for 10 years. Caroline mentions that her team

includes nurses, lab technicians, pharmacists, doctors, and other nurse practitioners. “As a nurse

practitioner, you interact with everyone, that is how we can treat patients effectively. Also

collaborating with colleagues to achieve a common goal is necessary for all jobs.” (Fasanelli,

2022). Caroline Fasanelli’s role as a nurse practitioner in the ER covers a lot of responsibilities.

She is essential to the healthcare team as she is one of the first healthcare professionals that

patients interact with. Some of her responsibilities include assessing and diagnosing patients,

performing and ordering diagnostic tests, and overall helping manage patient care.

One of the values that Fasanelli mentioned for good collaboration is communication.

Communication takes on many forms in healthcare. Through huddles, and debriefs, but also with

phone calls and through PerfectServe, a messaging platform where healthcare professionals can

get in contact with providers. The ways to communicate are endless. However, it is not just about
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Running Head: THE KEY TO HEALTHCARE INTERPROFESSIONAL
COLLABORATION
where you communicate but how. In order to have effective communication, is to be concise on

the information that you are trying to relay. For example, the use of SBAR is a common resource

that nurses use in order to give information about their patients. When information is relayed in a

concise manner, then orders can be implemented faster and thus improving patient outcomes

(Olde Bekkink et al., 2018). This is imperative for professionals in leadership roles such as a

nurse practitioner.

However, relaying information is the not the only aspect of good interprofessional

collaboration. Listening and addressing the concerns is a big part of ensure that collaborating

runs smoothly. “It is important to ensure that your team members feel like they have been heard.

I have seen other professionals in my field that overtake the conversation and do not really listen

to other coworkers’ input. This causes information to be delayed and thus delaying patient care”

(Fasanelli, 2022). Also, not listening to your teammates’ input can cause doubt in your capability

for not only your teammates but in patients as well.

Overall, Fasanelli, provided a lot of insight of what interprofessional collaboration looked

like from a nurse practitioner’s point of view. I chose to interview a nurse practitioner because I

do want to pursue becoming a nurse practitioner and I wanted to know how interprofessional

collaboration changes when one transitions from registered nurse to family nurse practitioner.

Prior to the interview, my opinions of interprofessional collaboration were based on my own

experience. In the progressive care unit, the acuity of our patient population is high. Due to the

high acuity, it is necessary to reach out to other colleagues in order to form a plan of care tailored

to each patient’s needs. That being said, my understanding of collaborating before the interview

was that it is something that you practice and as you progress in your field it becomes easier to

do as you form relationships with your colleagues. As a new graduate nurse, I also feel
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Running Head: THE KEY TO HEALTHCARE INTERPROFESSIONAL
COLLABORATION
intimidated about collaborating with other professionals. In fact, most new grad nurses struggle

with articulate communication with other healthcare workers due to lack of confidence and

experience (Kukko et al., 2020). After the interview, my opinion of interprofessional

collaboration was further strengthened. I have learned that with time and practice, interacting

with other fields in medicine will not be as daunting. Going forward, when collaborating with

other professionals in my field, I try to keep communication clear and concise using SBAR and

speak up in huddles and debriefs when I have questions and concerns.

Interprofessional collaboration is necessary within all jobs, especially within the medical

field. From providers to nurses, healthcare workers must congregate in order to create effective

patient care plans. This paper examined the role of interprofessional collaboration and its

significance in the healthcare field from the perspective of an ER family nurse practitioner,

Caroline Fasanelli. The use of interprofessional collaboration in healthcare has increased the

trust and understanding in healthcare workers, resulting in better patient-centered health

outcomes.
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Running Head: THE KEY TO HEALTHCARE INTERPROFESSIONAL
COLLABORATION

Citations:

Fasanelli, C. (2022, October 14). Phone Interview.

Karam, Brault, I., Van Durme, T., & Macq, J. (2018). Comparing interprofessional and

interorganizational collaboration in healthcare: A systematic review of the qualitative

research. International Journal of Nursing Studies, 79, 70–83.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2017.11.002

Kukko, Silén-Lipponen, M., & Saaranen, T. (2020). Health care students’ perceptions about

learning of affective interpersonal communication competence in interprofessional

simulations. Nurse Education Today, 94, 104565–104565.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2020.104565

Olde Bekkink, M., Farrell, S. E., & Takayesu, J. K. (2018). Interprofessional communication in

the emergency department: residents’ perceptions and implications for medical

education. International Journal of Medical Education, 9, 262–270.

https://doi.org/10.5116/ijme.5bb5.c111