Copyright Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.
Chapter 2 Career Skills in Health Informatics
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Effective Teams
Directing information to the correct person is a teamwork-related skill.
Skilled team members monitor the activities of other members, know
their strengths and weaknesses, and organize tasks with each person’s
strengths in mind. For example, Kia knows that the doctor on her team
is excellent at assessment and diagnosis of a patient but has a hard time
remembering names. She is always careful to prompt the doctor’s memory
by introducing a patient at the beginning of an exam.
When a group of people works closely together, there will always be
differences of opinion, which can create confl ict within the team. Effective
team members are able to handle disagreements without damaging
their working relationships. Some people are naturally good at this type
of cooperation and collaboration. Most of us, however, learn confl ict
resolution skills in the same way we learn our medical skills—through
training and experience. You will learn about confl ict resolution skills in
chapter 6.
Members of effective teams remain positive in spite of personal
differences. A positive attitude is critical to the success of a team. In
addition to knowing the strengths and weaknesses of other members,
everyone on the team must know how to fi t their different personalities
together to create a comfortable work environment. Understanding
and respecting the feelings and beliefs of each team member is just as
important as performing the duties of your job correctly.
Working in a Team: Adam
When Adam designs a workshop for students, he
naturally thinks of creative activities that students will
enjoy. Another team member considers the information
that must be presented for students to learn a scientific
concept. A third team member creates a schedule and
determines what lab supplies will need to be ordered.
By using the personal strengths of each team member, the team can work
efficiently. Team members rely on each other to complete different tasks when
preparing for the workshop and are happy to focus on the tasks they enjoy most.
A positive attitude toward teamwork and mutual trust among team members
make this team successful.
RECALL YOUR READING
1. Healthcare facilities use teams of workers to improve patient _________ and
the quality of patient _________ and to reduce _________.
2. Knowing the _________ and _________ of each team member makes a
team more effective.
3. Effective team members are skilled at cooperating and handling _________
without damaging their working relationships.
4. Each team member’s responsibilities are part of his or her _________.
Complete the
Map Your Reading
graphic organizer for the
section you just read.