Recently I was able to meet and interview one of my hospital medicine colleagues from the Northeastern region of the United States.
Maureen Carmichael is a Hospitalist RN who attended a leadership training hosted in New York City. In our discussion Maureen shared an innovative way physicians in her team are building teamwork using peer-to-peer recognition.
The idea is simple but powerful. A poster called “Building Teamwork” is posted in the team office. Physicians write the names of people they want to recognize for their service on the board. After a name is posted, Maureen personally shares this information with the nurse, giving them a token of appreciation around their peers. The outcome has been very positive with increased teamwork, trust and patient care.
Maureen’s idea could easily be incorporated into the daily and weekly routines of any team.
Have a “story-worthy” month!
JD
