The veterinary nurse and teamworking
Abstract
Teamwork is regarded as a core skill within the veterinary nursing profession. The ability to work with other members of the clinical team is critical to the health and welfare of veterinary patients, client satisfaction and the success of the veterinary business. The stages of teambuilding and Belbin team roles are presented here as examples of teamworking theory that may be applied in practice. An understanding of how teams are formed, and the individual roles played by members of the team, will help to ensure that healthcare teams function more effectively and efficiently.
‘Veterinary nurses must work together and with others in the veterinary team and business, to coordinate the care of animals and the delivery of services.’
A team can be distinguished from a group of people in the sense that its members are committed to a common goal, for which the team members are mutually accountable (Adair, 1987). Unlike a group of people who may be randomly brought together through a shared interest (for example, those attending a conference) but who work independently, the nature of a team is that its members have interdependent roles. For veterinary nurses, the most likely common goals in practice are the health and welfare of animals entrusted to their care and service provision to clients; the effectiveness of the care provided is dependent on how well the team works together.
Teamworking is one of the core professional skills in veterinary nursing. Given the importance of this skill to effective practice, this article introduces examples of teamworking theory and discusses its application to veterinary nursing, specifically, the stages in team-building and team roles versus functional roles.
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