Teamwork
Healthcare is a Partnership, not a Dictatorship. You don't have to know it all to be able to advocate for yourself. Your healthcare provider is there help guide you through the knowledge and recommendations. You get to take those recommendations and decide if they work for you, your life, and your circumstances.
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Your provider is there to help you decide what is best for you - not to tell you.
Who could be on the team?
A variety of people may be a part of your healthcare team.
Members could change based on your situation or your location.
Below is a list of some common team members that could be involved during your care.
When we think of the "Team" or a person having a baby, it is easy to focus only on the obvious, central ones: the nurse, the provider, and the patient. There are so many more people that are involved- some working behind the scenes and some that are more front and center.
The person receiving the care is the most crucial person on the team and they always have a right to know who else is involved with the team.
Patient / Client
The person receiving the care is always the most important team member.
Family / Support
The people who are there to support the person receiving care are also important. In emergencies, they may be needed to help guide the rest of the team on the client's wishes. In labor/birth, there is often a partner involved.
Healthcare Provider
This could be a Midwife, Physician, Physician Associate, or Physicians. This is the licensed or certified provider who is providing the guidance for healthcare services.
For people having a baby, there may be a separate provider that cares for the baby after they are born.
If there are complex things happening, or for individuals in recovery, there may be multiple providers.Â
Many OB practices are moving towards group practices, meaning you may have many providers that take care of you and share the information.
Nurse
There are different levels of nurses with different scope of practice. They help the healthcare provider by caring out orders and tasks. The are able to complete assessments and administer medications. They support the client/patient. These crucial individuals are in the clinics and in the birthing location.
Case Manager
These individuals help to keep track of the needs of the client/patient. They help to refer to resources and agencies as needed, complete needs assessments, interface with insurance, etc. These may be in the clinic, affiliated with an insurance company, or in the hospital.
Students
If you are at a teaching facility, or a rural site with an affiliation to a teaching location student may be present. For any of the team members, there may be a student. Observation and participation are key components of learning for people entering health or human service care. That being said, they should always be appropriately supervised, and participation should always be offered, not forced.
Pharmacist
If you need any medications, you will have a pharmacist in the community that works with you. In a hospital/facility there may be an "inpatient" pharmacy. This person reviews medications to make sure they are safe and ordered correctly before they are administered. They may help with getting medicines together when people are discharged.
Counselor
If you are in recovery or have anxiety you may have a counselor on your team. This is a healthcare professional who does talk therapy. There are a variety of approaches and types of therapists. They could have a social work or psychology background.