Given the myriad of communicative role demands
placed upon today’s nurses, it is not too surprising that
effective communication is a skill considered essential
to professional nursing practice (AACN, 1998) and that
the teaching and learning of good communication are
central to nursing accreditation standards (Commission
on Collegiate Nursing Education, 2003). Reflecting the
importance of communication in nursing roles, nurse
educators have designed curricula that emphasize
communication principles grounded in theory and
professional practice. However, what is needed to
reinforce nurse educators’ efforts is research based on
actual nurse interactions, particularly the discourse
occurring between nurses and other members of their
health care teams. Such in situ research would provide
nurses with authentic examples of how to successfully
communicate with others and overcome communication
barriers (Kotecki, 2002