Collaboration is typically defined as working together on a common goal or endeavor. In this edition of the ANA-Ohio News Journal, we explore different ways nurses collaborate to create incredible results and positively impact nursing education, nursing practice, and patient’s outcomes. In this edition of the News Journal, we highlight the nurse’s role in creating policy solutions, educating student nurses, mentoring nursing colleagues, leadership opportunities, and determining and using the best evidence. A key takeaway from this edition is the lesson that nurses understand the importance of collaborating with others and learn about opportunities to enhance collaborations in their own practice. As a profession, we are large in numbers. For example the nursing department usually has the largest body of employees at any healthcare organization and as a profession, nurses comprise the largest group of healthcare professionals. Yet, our voices are not the strongest and, consequently, our policy impacts are not as powerful as they could be.

Perhaps now is a time for a paradigm shift within the nursing culture to emphasize the importance of collaboration. We can and must learn from one another and intentionally keep a collaborative environment at the forefront. For example, nurses who are versed in technology can be an awesome resource to others who are less familiar or less comfortable with technological advances. The experienced nurses can mentor others in a variety of patient care and career scenarios. Bringing nurses together creates a forum for diverse and equitable decision-making. It is an interesting assumption, made within some organizations, that we can make diverse and equitable decisions without collaborating with those who have lived and experienced inequality and exclusion in nursing profession. When nurses recognize that collaborative environments are possible, nurses create solutions at the bedside and in the board room that are incredibly impactful.

Finally, we nurses must choose to collaborate with each other and with other healthcare colleagues, every single day. As the old saying goes, “two heads are better than one”. This truth lies in the fact that each of us has a unique view that the other does not. Remember, nurturing collaborative environments are not inherent in the organizations in which we are employed. Nurses must take the lead in creating and maintaining such environments for ourselves and others. Therefore, we must work to remove the obstacles and to ensure collaborative environments exist. We hope you find inspiration in this edition of the News Journal to foster collaborative efforts in your work setting and in your career.