There exists a lot of present studies that support interprofessional learning and teamwork among study groups. In this paper, I will discuss the Gibbs reflection model and reflect on one aspect of interprofessional collaboration, which is communication and development, and its impact on participation and development in my personal skills.
The reflective model that I am going to use for my assignment is the GIBBS reflective model. Graham Gibbs developed the Gibbs reflective cycle in 1988. It offers structure to learning using experiences through thoughts and feelings. The experience is then evaluated whether it is wrong or right. Then, the experience is analyzed. The conclusion is done about the learning experience and what could have been alternatively done to change the situation.
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The reflection model is used in:
1. Describing an experience.
2. Feelings and opinions about the experience.
3.Evaluation of the experience-both positive and negative.
4. Analysis-what is the situation about.
5.Conclusions-what you learned and what can be done to change the experience.
6.Action plan-how to deal with similar situations in the future or general changes.
The Gibbs reflection model is an effective way to work through an experience. The experience can be a personal or group situation at school or home. Gibbs advocated its use in repeated cases but the principles and stages equally apply to single experiences. If performed with a single experience, the plan may become more general and can be analyzed to give a view of how an individual can use their conclusions in the future (Adeani et al., 2020). I chose the Gibbs model because it follows the reflective process, and it is easy to use in an organized and cyclical manner. It allows an individual to analyze and explore thoughts straightforwardly and offers a better structure to writing a reflection essay (Adeani et al., 2020). The Gibbs model will provide design and flow to my writing for practical analysis and reflection.
At the start of the course, I did not have the opportunity to begin my assignment because I did not have access to the timetable and the course module to start the lecture. I received my access email at a later date which was the 26th of October (Appendix 1). Soon after I received my access email, I got emails from members of my group as they introduced themselves to mean, and I did the same. My thoughts about the situation were that it felt nice to know that my group members were thinking about me as it helped bridge the communication gap between us (Appendix 1). I evaluated the experience and concluded that we would be successful as a group as we knew the importance of taking the initiative in communication. An analysis of the experience, initializing communication among group members is essential for any study group. It allows new students to acquire independence and helps them bond and create social relationships (Hargie, 2016). Thus, we were all able to know each other well and to exchange our contact information. The first communication step for effective teamwork is to contact an individual and acquire the contact details for each team member for effective communication (Appendix 1). Thus, my overall experience was positive as I received a warm welcome from my group made possible by effective communication.
I developed the skill of role clarification within a team. As a group, we assigned roles and tasks to each group member on our Facebook chat group (Appendix 2). For practical completion of tasks and assignments, handing out parts to each individual is essential. One group member took the mandate to ask the group members the tasks each one of them preferred, which presented the opportunity for every individual to choose a task that they were comfortable doing (Appendix 2). Every member was asked to pick a task on the Facebook chat group, and no one was left without a task. I was surprised that there were no issues in handling roles as opposed to my past groups I had been to before. Teams are crucial as they enable the accomplishment of tasks that would not have been possible individually. Handling out roles within a group ensures success within the group. It ensures that each group member knows what they are doing (Hargie, 2016). When the roles are clear to each person, each member knows what is expected of them and the tasks they are supposed to accomplish.
Moreover, consciously defining each member's role in a study group ensures the group succeeds in its roles (Hargie, 2016). I learned that individuals' assignment of specific roles helps a person to focus on their particular task while polishing their work to give the best. It helps in building perfection and enhances the togetherness of the team.
Excellent verbal communication skills are vital in any study group. When communicating through the use of video apps such as zoom, individuals should communicate in a way that is clear and loud. In our study group, we chose a day convenient for every member so as not to inconvenience anybody in their work. Deciding on the proper time for the meeting helps the team members to make free time and arrange their schedules to avoid absenteeism in group work (Babiker et al., 2014). Also, it gives a member a platform to communicate whether they will be able to make it or not at the meeting time. For example, when we set up the meeting time, a team member communicated that she would be late for the meeting by 10 minutes. It was vital as the other members waited for her by not getting into the details of the work sooner. Such communication helped as if she had not communicated, we might have assumed that she would not be able to get to the meeting. Another excellent communication skill is getting to know the team members personally (Babiker et al., 2014). In our team, we start the day by talking about our days and our experiences when we are not at school. It helps to build interrelations in the group and reduces the overall pressure of the assignment. Additionally, the group members communicated in a clear, loud manner on zoom for easy audibility which made the discussion more effective. Moreover, everyone got to understand what each member was saying (Appendix 3). I learned that good communication is vital for practical discussions within a team.
Presentation skills in a team are vital. Interacting with other group members helps one know their characters, such as shyness and confidence. In my team, two girls did not have a problem with presentation as they were up for the task. A group member asked who was more comfortable with presenting. In this way, a person who was comfortable volunteered. It helped not to panic group members who were not confident to present by randomly choosing anyone. It allows every team member to be comfortable in a group as they are not forced to do a task they do not want. Volunteering in a group for a task ensures that the team knows who is up for a particular task (Babiker et al., 2014). The communication style helps the group understand each member's weaknesses and strengths and assign roles appropriately to everyone. According to research, identifying weaknesses and strengths in a team is essential in unlocking the potential of the group members (Babiker et al., 2014). It enables the team to make effective decisions about assignments and ensure that each team member grows and succeeds in their assigned task. Therefore, different members are better suited to various tasks, which helps maximize their productivity.
Verbal and non-verbal skills are vital in getting feedback from team members regarding their roles is essential for any study group. It helps the members of the team know the progress each individual has made in their given tasks. My team got each other's feedback during the holiday when a physical meeting was impossible (Appendix 4). It helped in acquiring opinions of other members regarding individual tasks and assisted in the improvement of our tasks by other members opinions. Even when we felt that a team member's task was not good enough, we politely corrected them and shared our views without being rude.
I also learned that non-verbal communication skills such as nodding, keeping eye contacts, listening and taking down notes were good non-verbal communication skills. Non-verbal communication helps in creating understanding, rapport and clarity in a discussion. Moreover, team members should exhibit proper non-verbal communication when corrected, such as head nodding, taking down notes, and listening (Goosen, 2015). Giving feedback across the team helps in strengthening the assignment. It also helps in sharing ideas across the group and assessing the progress of tasks across the team.
Effective communication necessitates a primary mode of communication. It might be face to face, through zoom, Facebook, or WhatsApp. In our team, we mainly communicated through the use of Facebook (Goosen, 2015). In the Facebook group chat, we frequently checked on each other regarding personal reasons and our assigned tasks. It helped in making sure that none of us had become overwhelmed by their assignment. We helped one another as we knew it was not only for the assignment but the entire course. Communication through Facebook chat was conducted with utmost respect and care. During the global pandemic of the coronavirus, we had to primarily rely on online social media for our communication as it was not possible to meet physically. The social media apps and technology such as Facebook enhanced our communication, as we mainly utilized the zoom and Facebook apps for communication. Through the use of Facebook chats, we were able to ask for clarification from other group members regarding the assignment, thus helping each other's help in our tasks. Also, availability is the key to effective communication ( Navickiené et al., 2009) . For example, when someone asked a question, they got a reply straight away. Thus, for effective communication, members should be active.
Communication within the group is improved by listening effectively. Listening helps to interpret and receive messages in the process of communication accurately. If there exists no ability to listen, there emerges misinterpretation of messages and communication breakdown. For proper listening, an individual should be attentive and focused. Listening also enhances an individual's ability to understand better and be a better communicator. It makes the communication process more enjoyable if the members of a group are good listeners.
The use of technology has made communication more accessible, efficient, and fast. It helps in tracking conversations and makes it possible for individuals to understand each other easily. Moreover, it helps in gathering insights and improve experiences and ideas across a group. The use of Facebook chat made it possible for each member of the group to communicate. It enhances teamwork and straightforward interpretation of communication among the members of a team (Appendix 6). Our communication on social media was also enhanced by emojis and hearts, which makes communication more enjoyable and allows every member to have a sense of belonging in the platform.
Moreover, it is vital to check on each other's well-being to be sure everyone is okay and enhance oneness in the team (Burgoon et al., 2019). Additionally, team members should not only discuss issues regarding the assignment as it may put pressure on some members. Instead, there should be incorporation other things and activities such as getting to know what other members were doing over the holidays and fun activities such as a game before starting on the discussion. It helped communicate effectively with the team members, and reduce the feelings of pressure in our assigned tasks which enabled us to perform better on our assignment.
Communicating through social media such as Facebook helps in keeping records of the communication for future use. It allows group members to view previous messages if they missed the point or had not been present during the meeting. Moreover, a member can use it as a reference if they forget any vital information on an assignment (Appendix 6). The platform plays a crucial role in students' lives. It makes it more convenient and easier to provide information, communicate and access information. Group members can upload their assignments in the Facebook group to see the progress they have made. It also makes the group members interconnected (Hudson et al., 2017). It makes it easy to share additional information and to correct any work wrongly done. It is also convenient for learning as members can communicate anytime they feel, even during night hours. Thus, it aids in improving the team's literacy and reading skills (Hudson et al., 2017).
Moreover, the use of Facebook has notifications that notify a person when other members are online, and messages are viewed effectively. This is in contrast with the use of emails which might get lost in the platform. Interacting with other members regarding their personal lives helps keep the group members updated about every member; for instance, a group member is unwell. Effective communication creates bonding which leads to friendship relations. For example, a member of our group fell sick, and she notified us of the Facebook chat group. We were able to keep track of her well-being and to wish her a quick recovery. It also helped as we were able to help out with her assignments to ensure no one was left behind in our work (Appendix 6). Communication helps in strengthening the relationship within the group and the entire duration of the course.
I got to understand how to deal better with negative feedback. Effective communication helps in understanding that the negative feedback was not personal. When my group received negative feedback from an assignment, we thought we had done quite well, whereas the results said otherwise. Some group members were upset as we had practiced effective communication and had finished the work on time. Even though we had used proper resources, we got feedback that we did not expect. We defended each other and encouraged one another, telling ourselves that we all did a great job and lifted each other emotionally. We thanked each other for working effectively together and appreciated the efforts of every individual towards the work. I think that we did not handle the negative feedback well. We could have asked why the feedback we got was not according to our expectations ( Navickiené et al., 2009). There had to be a genuine reason for the feedback. We could have asked ourselves what we had missed on our assignment of what we had not included.
Moreover, we could have analyzed the feedback to know what we needed to improve to not repeat the same mistakes in our next task. Additionally, we could have communicated with other groups that had received positive feedback. It would have helped to establish what had been required of our work. Moreover, we should have better understood that it was not personal as the tutor might not even know us on a personal level. It would have aided in knowing whether the feedback was destructive or constructive.
Challenges and problems in the interprofessional working
There are various challenges that are faced in interprofessional working. First, there is lack of flexibility and accountability on teams. Most health care teams do not make the right decisions in the healthcare sector. When they are faced with failure, they fail to take responsibility for their actions. The lack of accountability in interprofessional working creates a mindset in an individual which limits their optimism and takes away their control, making them less effective in their work (Caldwell & Atwal, 2003). Recommendations include the development of clear lines of leadership tasks and accountability but not equating leadership with making decisions. In some instances, the patient should take the lead.
Secondly, there exists a high rate of disagreements and conflict in interprofessional working. Disputes and conflict in teamwork are prevalent in the healthcare sector and poses a significant challenge (Caldwell & Atwal, 2003). It can be particularly problematic for younger team members or in highly hierarchical teams. Team members should practice proper communication skills to avoid conflicts. They should learn to accommodate each other and plan effectively to solve disputes in their group.
Another challenge that faces interprofessional working is failing teamwork which may lead to accidents. Most accidents in the sector are caused by miscommunication, roles that are not well defined, and a lack of proper coordination among team members (Caldwell & Atwal, 2003). The problem can be solved by effectively working with the team by creating an open environment whereby members can view their concerns and opinions regarding the task at hand.
Most interprofessional work is individual. Most healthcare professions such as medicine, dentistry, and nursing are individualistic, such that it involves a one-on-one relationship between the patient and the healthcare professional. Thus, they got used to such experiences with little or no regard for the importance of teamwork and shared care (Caldwell & Atwal, 2003). Cooperation should be enhanced through the proper allocation of roles. It will work to improve teamwork as members will be assigned to the same roles.
Another challenge is that in interprofessional working is that the roles in healthcare are constantly changing. In most teams in healthcare, considerable overlap and changes occur in terms of the roles played by healthcare givers. It can present a challenge to teamwork in terms of allocation of roles and acknowledgment. Members in interpersonal working should be allocated the same roles, which would help them keep their team members without changing their members often.
The strong hierarchical structure in interprofessional working can pose a tremendous challenge for the effective and proper functioning of teams where there is a consideration for all team members. Recommendations include the formation of groups within the same level in healthcare. It would help keep the same team members as there will be the assignment of similar tasks and functions.
In conclusion, I chose the Gibbs reflective cycle as it offers structure to learning using experiences achieved through thoughts and feelings of an experience. Current studies support interprofessional learning and teamwork among study groups. Communication plays a vital role in the success of any group. Verbal and non-verbal skills are essential in getting feedback from team members regarding their roles is important for any study group. Clarification should be done in a team to avoid failure in the assigned tasks. It can be improved by listening effectively. Teams should learn how to deal with negative feedback by not taking it personally. Challenges facing interprofessional working include solid hierarchical structure, changing professions, miscommunications, and conflicts among the team members. Thus, communication is vital in all aspects of life as it helps individuals better understand each other.
References
Adeani, I.S., Febriani, R.B. and Syafryadin, S., 2020. Using Gibbs’reflective Cycle in Making Reflections Of Literary Analysis. Indonesian EFL Journal , 6 (2), pp.139-148. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Syafryadin-Syafryadin/publication/343599316_Using_GIBBS%27_reflective_cycle_in_making_reflections_of_literary_analysis/links/5f335a50a6fdcccc43c20399/Using-GIBBS-reflective-cycle-in-making-reflections-of-literary-analysis.pdf
Babiker, A., El Husseini, M., Al Nemri, A., Al Frayh, A., Al Juryyan, N., Faki, M.O., Assiri, A., Al Saadi, M., Shaikh, F. and Al Zamil, F., 2014. Health care professional development: Working as a team to improve patient care. Sudanese journal of paediatrics , 14 (2), p.9. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4949805/
Burgoon, J.K., Guerrero, L.K. and Floyd, K., 2019. Nonverbal communication . Routledge.
Caldwell, K. and Atwal, A., 2003. The problems of interprofessional healthcare practice in hospitals. British Journal of Nursing , 12 (20), pp.1212-1218. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/14685127/
Goosen, S., 2015. The importance of teamwork in nursing. Professional Nursing Today , 19 (3), pp.4-6. http://www.pntonline.co.za/index.php/PNT/article/view/794
Hargie, O., 2016. The importance of communication for organizational effectiveness. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/304626602_The_Importance_of_Communication_for_Organisational_Effectivenes
Hudson, C.C., Gauvin, S., Tabanfar, R., Poffenroth, A.M., Lee, J.S. and O’Riordan, A.L., 2017. Promotion of role clarification in the Health Care Team Challenge. Journal of interprofessional care , 31 (3), pp.401-403. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28140704/
Navickiené, V. and Pevcevičiūtė, S., 2009. COMMUNICATION SKILLS IN GROUP/TEAM WORK FOR PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT. Bridges/Tiltai , 45 (1). https://web.b.ebscohost.com/abstract?direct=true&profile=ehost&scope=site&authtype=crawler&jrnl=13923137&AN=41231684&h=3PiqV9kWMUdZMBcKqraY%2faC%2bsp3sVpiIOm7trf3VLuJYLEOaC2YNw2r5z0ZuYf9DtBFI%2fXgB6XeET%2fw0l50JDg%3d%3d&crl=c&resultNs=AdminWebAuth&resultLocal=ErrCrlNotAuth&crlhashurl=login.aspx%3fdirect%3dtrue%26profile%3dehost%26scope%3dsite%26authtype%3dcrawler%26jrnl%3d13923137%26AN%3d41231684
