Have you ever been on a team building day? I remember a team building day with the diverse staff team I worked with as a missionary. We had different activities that day with varying degrees of difficulty and hilarity. Ice-breaker games were also beneficial for getting to know our team...
It's often at work that we face our biggest challenges, especially in the area of our talk and interactions with others. We don't choose who we work with, and some individuals have the capacity to rile everyone with whom they have dealings. Many workplace conversations are filled with gossip, grumbling, or...
Do you ever feel like doctors are the enemy? I must admit, I find it too easy to slip into that mindset. I see a prescribing error and show another nurse, while I roll my eyes and pass a glib comment about nurses saving the day - yet again. My...
When I started as a junior doctor in London, an excellent piece of advice that stuck with me went something like this: 'Whatever you do, get the nurses on side. They know more than you about the patients, and they can make your life much better, or much worse!' The...
In 2002, John Maxwell wrote a book entitled Teamwork makes the dream work. His idea was that effective teamwork is what allows us to fulfil our aspirations, passions and desires. I hope we can all remember teams that we've been part of that were cohesive and unified, where all the...
In a 2015 issue of the Nursing Times, chief nurses were called to help tackle 'shameful' bullying statistics. (1) One in four NHS staff is bullied. Retention of nurses is further hampered by nurses reporting that they feel frustrated and dissatisfied with working relationships that devalue their professional worth, especially...
There is one part of the multidisciplinary team we are all liable to forget about. Those who provide spiritual help in time of need and who profess they love Jesus, can be a precious gift from God to nursing staff and the hospital. I am of course, talking about the...
Nurses on the Paediatric Assessment Unit where I work love it when I'm in a decisive mood. Are we admitting or discharging? Discharge! Do we stretch the inhalers or not? Stretch to four hours! Two sugars or one? (No... I'm joking. I'm the one who makes tea for the team...
What I particularly love about physiotherapy is that it is my job to lay hands on people with the purpose of bringing healing. It is a privilege that patients trust us to be involved in their health, and what we do and say can significantly impact their daily lives. How...
I went to a wedding at the weekend. The most moving moment was when the bride lifted her veil up and the waiting groom (my godson) finally saw her unveiled face, shining with joy and love. It reflected his own joy and devotion, shown so clearly on his own face. It...