Description Team work may be defined as the cooperative or coordinated effort on the part of a group of persons acting together

as a team or in the interests of a common cause (Dictionary.com 2014). I will be using the Gibbs module of reflection to analyse an issue that arose relating to team working on the hospital ward where I am employed as a trainee assistant practitioner. On this particular shift I was discussing what my role entailed with other staff members. Prior to commencing the TAP training I had worked on the same ward as a healthcare assistant (HCA), on occasions other HCAs had questioned what differentiated the two positions. One of the staff nurses (SN) was questioning what the position would bring to the ward and why I had chosen not to complete a nursing degree. The outcome of the conversation was that the role of the assistant practitioner was pointless. She stated that she did not understand the reasoning for writing patient care plans or carrying out duties when they must be overseen or subsequently countersigned by the registered practitioner. I agreed with her point and we ended the conversation. Thoughts and feelings I was shocked that she had been so forthcoming with her opinions on the position of AP and felt a little upset that my role would be pointless. It also made me wonder whether this was the opinion of the rest of the team as this was not the first instance that the question has been raised. However, although I know she is not alone in her opinion I did feel slightly irritated with her for voicing her views. I was annoyed with myself that I had ultimately agreed with her statement when I do not feel her beliefs were correct. I felt frustrated that I again felt the need to justify my position to colleagues and that no one seems to have any understanding what it is that I do. Evaluation I recognised that the situation had mainly arisen because I had not further communicated as it seemed an apparent solution to avoid any potential conflict. I was worried if I would have further discussed my role it could have ended in a disagreement. As I get on well with this particular colleague I did not want to create tension between us or within the team, however not discussing this may have exacerbated the situation. Changing roles within the same team has at times been challenging but this situation made me question others support of my new position. As I am the first TAP on the ward at times it can be perplexing what my duties are and change on a day to day basis depending on which staff nurse I am working with and which tasks I am delegated worries

about appropriate delegation. I can therefore recognise others difficulties in recognising my role.

Analysis (min 1000 words) Frush and Salas (2012) state that effective teamwork is dependent on each team member being able to anticipate the needs of others, adjust to each others actions and the changing environment. Collaboration is essential, for goals to be achieved each team member needs to demonstrate an understanding about others feel (REF MONICAS PP SLIDE). A level of emotional intelligence is required to understand where others are coming from it is important to observe your own role within the situation and the motivation of others. Emotional intelligence is the ability to understand, express and respond to the emotions of those around us (Blell 2011). Salovey et al (2004) states that emotional intelligence will assist people in team work, cooperation and learning to work together more effectively. On reflection, I am aware that I used avoiding behaviour in this situation. Collins (2008) suggests that there are five behaviour styles when it comes to managing conflict and that many have a preferred way of responding. They will often continue to use this approach until factors influence them to use an alternative method. The avoidant behaviour style can in fact escalate diversity because the issues are not being resolved. The other party may not even be aware that there is a problem or they have offended anyone as no direct discussion has taken place. Third parties can become involved at this stage if conversations are held with other staff members which causes adversity amongst the wider team. A constant challenge to the effectiveness derives from communication, understanding others roles, conflict resolution and the ability to tolerate others diversities (McCallin and Mccallin 2009).

The World Health Organisations annual report (2008) states that it is essential for multiple health workers from different professions to coordinate care to enable the health service to achieve the best possible patient outcomes. The developing role of the AP allows the practitioner to engage in some of the clinical skills of the registered nurse (RN) which In turn this allows the RN to develop and expand their position in supporting senior clinical staff (Jones and Jenkins 2006) Subsequently this results in

a blur of professional boundaries where a task the TAP may have been considered responsible for on one shift, on another the RN may wish to retain the task previously delegated. Griggs (2012) acknowledges that TAPS feel the need to validate and convince co-workers of the importance of the role. This blur in professional boundaries creates tension within the team as the AP is viewed as taking over work considered to be within the nurses domain (Wakefield et al 2010).Research involving teamwork support the view that each team member must be clear on their individual roles to avoid conflict and uncertainty of expectations (Payne 2000). Resistance to change is the expected response as it alters the balance within the group. The level of opposition is determined by the nature of the change, to improve the teams level of knowledge is a more simple task than to change attitudes (Marquis and Huston 2009).

Typically people respond to organizational change with four patterns of behaviour. These include entrenched, overwhelmed, poser and learner. People may move between these groups while they adjust to the change (Bunker, 2011). When people are entrenched to change they find it difficult to move forwards with new ideas as their attitudes are fixed on how things have always been done. The overwhelmed group may feel anxious and nervous about the unknown and how this change is going to impact on them. The poser will merely act as though they are accepting the change whilst the learner will embrace and move forward with new ideas and proposed strategies. These responses may be intentional or a natural reponse. Creating a readiness to change within an organization involves a process of unfreezing. Peoples individual beliefs are challenged at this point and resistance is common. This can be addressed through education and involvement in new practices. The second transitional stage involves changing individuals behaviour. Refreezing occurs when the new behaviours have been embedded into normal work function (Murray et al 2006). Mills et al (2009) suggests that a barrier to change may be the result of poor communication. This can often be from those leading the change, but I feel in this instance it was my personal communication skills that contributed to this barrier at ward level.

SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) analysis is a tool that can be used to identify what is required to achieve personal professional goals by identifying positive attributes and limitations. Completing a SWOT analysis creates an opportunity to reflect on critical issues and to set future goals and objectives (Thompson, 2007).

Conclusion By carrying out a personal SWAT analysis I have become more aware of how I can achieve my own professional goals and how my behaviours and other team members contribute to this. I consider myself to be a caring and compassionate person, people tell me they find it easy to communicate worries or problems to me and see this as one of my strengths. One of my weaknesses is dealing with confrontation and conflict. I have realised that avoiding a situation does not lead to solution and can potentially make matters worse. I have been given the opportunity to study the foundation degree and become an AP for which I am really enthusiastic and feel very positive about the position. The threats and obstacles to the success of the role of AP are others attitudes to the developing role but also my own portrayal of the position by not pushing forward the importance of the position. By the nature of the organisation changes will continue to occur as the healthcare system is an ever evolving workforce. By becoming more aware of the .

Action plan Communication needs to be ongoing to reinforce any change (Mills et al 2009) In future I will endeavour to educate the rest of the team on the importance and role of the AP. If people had a better understanding of the position I think peoples attitudes would begin to change and I communication of this is key. From further discussions the issue of accountability has been highlighted as a potential barrier when it comes to delegation. I keep my skills log at work on each shift so I am able to demonstrate competence to the SN is confident of my abilities when delegating clinical activities. By demonstrating ability in the new role will reinforce the advantage of the role within the team.

References Blell, D. (2011) Emotional intelligence for the authentic and diverse workplace. Bloomington: IUniverse. Pp20. Bunker, K. (2011) Responses to change: helping people manage transition. North Carolina: Wiley & Sons. Collins, S. (2008) Managing conflict and workplace relationships. 2nd ed. Cengage Learning: Mason.

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