and their families, administrators). The scope of nurses’
professional practice extends beyond the patient bedside
to involve heightened team communication. Nurses
routinely collaborate with physicians, interact with
allied health caregivers, supervise assistant personnel,
and coordinate services across the health care continuum
in their role responsibilities (Apker & Fox, 2002;
Miller & Apker, 2002). In short, the health care system
requires nurses to communicate successfully with
multidisciplinary team members and with patients as
well as their families.