Team-building process in launching a practice model

With the growing use of multiple types of nurse extenders in new patient care-delivery models, there is a need not only for outcome research on their design and use but for identification and discussion of effective team-building processes necessary to implementing these models. This article presents an analysis of the interdisciplinary team process and the levels of team building and processes needed at each level to test a new nursing practice model. The team processes included not only those within the medical center but included the collaborative process established between the college of nursing and medical center. Both of these were crucial to a successful change in nursing practice.