The world needs far more nurses with doctoral degrees to be the nurse leaders, researchers, nursing faculty and advanced clinicians of tomorrow — which is a strong call from medical academies, nursing associations and nonprofit foundations who care deeply about maintaining and extending access to quality health care and advancing the nursing profession.

Communication is the way we make sense of our world, express our needs and achieve mutual understanding. In healthcare, communication supports safety, accuracy and engagement. For patients, family members, nurses, doctors and health care administrators, excellent nurse communication skills are pivotal to efficient, reliable and compassionate healthcare.

Nurse leaders can improve patient outcomes by developing their communication techniques through an advanced education, such as a Doctor of Nursing Practice program.

From the time we are children, we learn that teamwork is important. But does teamwork make a real difference in people's lives? How about in the workplace? What about high-stakes industries like healthcare, where life and death are truly on the line? The answer is an overwhelming "yes" — teamwork in healthcare matters a great deal and makes fundamental differences in people's lives.