Barriers or challenges can substantially impact effective collaboration and team approaches to the development of a curriculum.

Week 8 Initial Discussion Post

            Barriers or challenges can substantially impact effective collaboration and team approaches to the development of a curriculum.  Many barriers can have this effect, but I am going to discuss the barrier that most nurses and nurse educators face daily within the healthcare system.  This barrier is the challenge of time which remains a constant trial.  A nurse’s workload is already perceived as heavy with numerous demands placed on us day after day.  The difficulty of finding time to participate in collaborative practice can lead to an obstacle to innovation or improvement (Chiang, Chapman, & Elder, 2011).

            Each time I start my shift, I think that there will be time for educational opportunities.  I am told that it is night shift and we should have ample time to complete our mandatory online learning modules or evaluations because the patients are “asleep.”  However, the night shift is usually the shift that is understaffed and with fewer resources available.  Our day shift counterparts can attend patient care meetings with interdisciplinary representation and nursing grand rounds which is not available at night.  The hospital where I was previously employed even offered “bag lunch sessions” that allowed day shift workers an opportunity to attend an informal educational presentation. 

          During my research this week, I found an article that discussed the disengagement and turnover experienced on nightshift due to decreased educational opportunities.  According to this article, the turnover rate for nightshift nurses is three times greater than the dayshift nurses, and attendance of daytime educational offerings can produce considerable hardship for nightshift nurses (Margretta, Dennis, & McLaughlin, 2019).  Another article listed time constraints as the number one learning barrier that nurses report (Santos, 2012).  Time constraints not only occur with learning but can also be an essential influence on the team approach to curriculum development.

          One strategy that can be utilized to address this time challenge/barrier is negotiating meeting times.  Early distribution of meeting agendas, readings, and activities can also assist in guaranteeing a productive team meeting (Chiang et al., 2011).  Administrative support that allows extra time for team members to attend meetings can also aid in overcoming a time constraint barrier (Chiang et al., 2011).

          A strategy that can promote a learning environment for night shift staff was discussed previously and can provide a no to low-cost intervention that can increase staff engagement and job satisfaction as well as decrease turnover.  The continuing up-to-date, evidence-based practice education of nursing staff is imperative for improving the quality of care provided to our hospitalized patients (Margretta et al., 2019).   

References

Chiang, C., Chapman, H., & Elder, R. (2011). Overcoming challenges to collaboration: Nurse educators’ experiences in curriculum change. Journal of Nursing Education, 50(1), 27-33. Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.

Margretta, M., Dennis, M., & McLaughlin, D. C. (2019, January). Coffee talk: A jolt for night shift education. American Journal of Critical Care, 28(1), 81-84. Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.

Santos, M. C. (2012, July/August). Nurses’ barriers to learning: An integrative review. Journal for Nurses in Staff Development, 28(4), 182-185. Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.