Teaching the Importance of CollaborationBWH Nurse - For and about the Nursing Staff of Brigham and Women's HospitalTeaching the Importance of CollaborationBWH Nurse - For and about the Nursing Staff of Brigham and Women's Hospital

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Teaching the Importance of Collaboration


Ray Cote, center, joins BWH’s Joan Dorr, left, and Christine Mitchell, right, for a presentation to students at Regis College.

When Ray Cote, a patient awaiting a heart transplant, was admitted to Tower 8 for what would be a nearly eight-month stay, the collaboration among his nurses and social worker was pivotal to his well being.

Cote shared his experience with social work students at Regis College last November as part of a presentation by Joan Dorr, BSN, BC, and Christine Mitchell, LICSW, of Tower 8, highlighting the importance of collaboration among nurses and social workers and their overlapping roles as caregiver and advocate for long-term patients.

Cote’s ventricular assist device (VAD) was malfunctioning and causing complications that required a lengthy stay at BWH.

“Ray’s experience with a VAD while awaiting a transplant illustrates the true essence of collaboration between nursing and social work, that is, the need to treat the patient holistically, with attention to his or her emotional, physical and social needs,” Dorr said.