May 19, 2006

Endoscopy nursing shows team spirit

In all patient care areas of the MGH, cooperation and collaboration are a critical part of making sure patients receive the best possible care, a concept that the nursing staff on the MGH Endoscopy Unit understand well. In their unit — which has a staff of more than 60 nurses and has seen an increase in patient population of 22,000 to 28,000 people in just one year — teamwork is essential to keeping the unit running smoothly, and their efforts have not gone unnoticed. ADVANCE for Nurses magazine recently named the group as the 2006 Best Nursing Team in the category of teamwork. They were selected for the award on the basis of how well they support one another, implement the concept of teamwork in meeting goals and the establishment of best practices. The MGH nurses on the team also are featured on the cover of the May 2006 issue.

"It is rare to find such a strong team," says Christopher Callahan, RN, BSN, a nurse on the unit. "All of us come from different backgrounds and bring with us different areas of expertise, but teamwork is definitely part of our philosophy."