Preparation

Health care leaders often find that resolving a problem in delivering safe, high-quality health care requires the combined effort of a number of agencies, departments, and individuals.

For this assessment, identify a quality-related situation or problem relevant to your professional practice or area of interest that requires the collaborative effort of several departments and individuals to resolve. You will assume the role of team leader and draft a proposal for the organization’s executive leadership that outlines why this interprofessional team is necessary, who should take part in the collaboration, how the team will function, and how progress will be reported.

A project proposal should identify the situation or problem, identify the causes or contributing factors, present a plan of action, provide details about the plan, and provide reasons why the plan should be undertaken.

Note: Remember, you can submit all or a portion of your draft to Smarthinking for feedback before you submit the final version of your proposal for this assessment. However, be mindful of the turnaround time for receiving feedback if you plan on using this free service. Proposal Requirements

Write a proposal for assembling an interprofessional team. As you begin drafting your proposal, consider your goal and the needs of the leaders whose decisions will be based on the information you provide.

Note: The requirements outlined below correspond to the grading criteria in the Interprofessional Collaboration scoring guide. At a minimum, be sure to address each point. In addition, you are encouraged to review the performance level descriptions for each criterion to see how your work will be assessed. You are provided an example proposal that illustrates what proficient-level work for this assessment looks like. Proposal Format and APA Style Use the simplified Project Proposal Template, linked in the Resources, to draft your proposal. You may organize the content of your proposal in a format used in your organization. An abstract is not required. Your proposal should be 4–6 double-spaced pages in length, not including the title page and reference page. Apply correct APA formatting to all in-text citations and references. Use Times New Roman, 12-point font. Writing Be concise, but thorough. Your readers need sufficient and accurate information on which to base their decisions, and do not have time to sift through information that is not pertinent. Express your main points, arguments, and conclusions coherently. Use correct grammar and mechanics. Be sure to support your claims, arguments, and conclusions with credible evidence from 3–5 current, scholarly or professional sources. Proofread your writing. Plan Content Analyze the factors that have contributed to the problem. ( Hint: Examine the reasons for ineffective communication, not just the communication itself. Reasons may include staff burnout, workload, staffing shortfalls, attitudes, assumptions, and so on.) Consider whether certain combinations of factors might be contributing to the problem. Explain why an interprofessional team is needed to address the problem and achieve expected project outcomes. Determine who should be on the team. Identify the disciplines or areas team members should come from and any specific job titles prospective team members should hold. Describe the knowledge and expertise each discipline has to offer in resolving the situation. In addition, consider the level of creativity and problem-solving skills that are needed. Assess the effectiveness of a particular leadership approach in building and maintaining interprofessional collaborative relationships. Consider how effective that approach is in: Encouraging participation by all team members. Engaging reluctant or resistant team members. Maintaining a respectful platform for members to voice their ideas. Develop a strategy for communicating progress by the team to executive leadership. Determine which approach to communicating with leaders will be most effective and efficient. Determine whether you will have regular meetings and generate status reports. Develop a collaborative plan for resolving the problem. Identify the ethical or political issues that are relevant factors in your proposed solution. Identify the social, cultural, or economic factors that are relevant to your proposed solution. Explain how you would address the ethical, political, social, cultural, or economic factors you have identified as relevant to your plan. Describe your role as a leader in implementing the proposed solution. Determine how the practitioner-scholarmodel might be applied in resolving the problem. Consider how theory, research, and the published work in the field, in conjunction with your own experience and professional knowledge, might be used to develop strategies to analyze and resolve the problem.

As you prepare to complete this assessment, you may want to think about other related issues to deepen your understanding or broaden your viewpoint. You are encouraged to consider the questions below and discuss them with a fellow learner, a work associate, an interested friend, a family member, or a member of your professional community. Note that these questions are for your own development and exploration and do not need to be completed or submitted as part of your assessment.

SHOW LESS How do you approach a problem or challenge within your organization, when you observe it? How often have you needed to find credible information to solve a personal or professional problem? How did you find the information you needed? What are the advantages of an interprofessional team? What are peer-reviewed resources? Why are peer-reviewed resources considered to be credible and valid? What kind of communication skills do you possess?