Working with Other Disciplines

Chapter 5: Working with Other Disciplines

Description:

Delivery of health care is a collaborative effort, and each person has a valuable contribution to make. Although many important aspects of care are not specific to any particular discipline—for example, those that involve the basic principles of positive human interaction—other aspects are determined by the specific expertise and requirements of various disciplinary or occupational groups.

Because nurse managers are responsible for ensuring that efficient and effective nursing services are delivered, they must know how each person’s role fits into the overall plan of care and ensure that it is understood and valued by others, including the patient. An understanding of different disciplinary perspectives enables good organisational planning and can assist in dealing with the conflicts that inevitably emerge. This chapter provides a framework for appreciating fundamental differences among disciplines, explains why tensions and conflict occur and outlines strategies for promoting good inter-professional relations.

Topics:

• Introduction
• Understanding occupational differences
• Models driving practice
• Differing professional perspectives
• Role differences and disrespect
• The nurse manager as nurse
• The future of interdisciplinary teamwork
• Conclusion
• References

Speaker/ Author:

Cynthia Stuhlmiller
Cynthia has a clinical background in a variety of community and inpatient mental-health settings, working extensively with people exposed to traumatic stress from war, disaster and other extreme conditions. Her teaching, research, books and publications focus on disaster, rescue and emergency work, seasonal variation, consumer collaboration, mental-health education, clinical supervision and the dangers of diagnostic disordering. Cynthia is a pioneer in the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), having helped found and develop the first National Center for PTSD in Menlo Park, California from 1981–93.

A Fulbright Senior Scholar, Cynthia has held academic appointments in Norway, New Zealand and the USA. She was a professor of nursing, mental health at the University of Hawaii, School of Nursing and Dental Hygiene, a professor and foundation chair of mental health nursing at Flinders University, South Australia and at the University of Technology, Sydney. She currently holds a collaborative professorial appointment between the School of Medicine, Department of Public Health and the Mental Health Services Research Evaluation Training Program at the University of Hawaii.

Professional Reviews: