What makes a great clinical team? Stakeholder perspectives on the attributes of effective veterinary health care teams in Australia

Abstract

Extensive research in the business and organisational literature links teamwork to enhanced productivity and employee job satisfaction. Good teamwork capability is also a highly regarded graduate attribute linked to employability. This study explored desirable teamwork attributes for veterinary technology graduates in Australia, by surveying veterinarians, veterinary technology graduates, veterinary nurses, clients and academics. Respondents highlighted the importance of seven attributes sourced from the cross‐disciplinary teamwork literature—‘flexibility’ (in approach to work), ‘agreeableness’, being ‘cooperative’, ‘socially sensitive and perceptive’, ‘conscientiousness’, being ‘accepting of others’ and ‘sharing professional values’. The majority in each stakeholder group viewed all attributes important for teamwork concurring with findings in other fields. Few differences were found between and within groups with veterinarians and academics rating ‘conscientiousness’ higher than others and female clients placing more importance on relational attributes compared to male clients. Thematic analysis of an open‐ended item asking the veterinary health care groups, and veterinary academics, to define teamwork generated nine themes centred on: collaboration, goals and outcomes, sharing values, relationships, diversity, communication, task‐orientation, personal attributes, and workplace culture. This study illuminates an interprofessional perspective on veterinary teamwork. Results will be useful for veterinary technology, veterinary nursing and veterinary educators when developing a curriculum for interprofessional teamwork to enhance team performance, employability and, ultimately, the quality of veterinary services.

A qualitative study exploring the perceived effects of veterinarians' mental health on provision of care

“…Hence, the development of EI training programs geared toward all members of the veterinary team in a clinical setting may be advantageous for the relationships and mental wellbeing of veterinary employees. Given that provision of veterinary care is a team endeavor that requires good communication and trust between clients and amongst all veterinary staff ( 82 , 83 ), the implementation of EI training may also have beneficial impacts on the quality of veterinary care provided. While some occupational stressors do not lend themselves easily to modifications, EI can help employees better recognize, understand, express, and regulate their emotions, which can help reduce personal and interpersonal tensions and better position team members to respond to those stressors.…”

International multi‐stakeholder consensus for the capabilities most important to employability in the veterinary profession

“…For veterinarians, the importance of being able to work in a team is widely acknowledged, yet little has been written about what effective teamwork "looks like" in a veterinary context, with the exception of Ruby et al and Clarke et al who both wrote of the need for collaboration and a shared purpose, professional values and vision for a veterinary team to be successful. 28,29 Almost all of those items pertaining to teamwork were rated important by the respondents; particularly, "the ability to work collaboratively in a team", "being willing to get stuck in" and help others in the team to get through the workload/caseload, "being easy to get along with/getting on well with other staff members", being "considerate of the needs of others in the team", "treating colleagues with respect" and "putting aside individual needs to work towards a common team goal". The inter-professional nature of veterinary teams is often challenged by poor communication and hierarchies, 30 and the importance of "communicating effectively and appropriately with colleagues of different roles/levels of seniority" and "being willing to do menial tasks to help the team" may help to alleviate these difficulties.…”