An intradisciplinary team in a nurse managed center

The Division of Nursing, US Public Health Service, awarded a federal contract to the school of nursing of a large northeastern university to design, implement, and evaluate a nurse-managed wellness center for adults. An intradisciplinary nursing team was central to the intent of the contract. The 4 functional areas of nursing -- practice, education, administration, and research -- were represented on the team. The first meeting focused on establishing relationships and building trust. Team members negotiated roles and agreed upon functions. Throughout the project's 37 months, staging and phasing of the roles occurred. All forms of communication patterns were used, including verbal and written, informal and formal, and structured and unstructured. Throughout the project, there was minimal conflict. The team created flexibility in the organization that allowed the members' roles to vary according to the needs of the center, clients, students, the town, the university, and each other.