Teamwork & Leadership – Introduction (MSRA SJT)

Teamwork and Leadership MSRA — Introduction

Teamwork and Leadership MSRA

Teamwork and Leadership MSRA

This guide introduces the core principles of Teamwork and Leadership MSRA scenarios. In the Professional Dilemmas paper, you are tested on your ability to collaborate effectively while maintaining patient safety as the ultimate priority.

🎥 Video Lesson (YouTube)

🎧 Podcast Lesson (Spotify / Apple / Amazon)

Teamwork and leadership sit at the core of effective NHS practice — and the MSRA SJT tests them repeatedly. These questions assess how well you collaborate, support colleagues, delegate safely, and maintain professionalism under pressure. The exam rewards actions that protect patients, strengthen the team, and promote a culture of safety and fairness.

This section gives you a clear, structured introduction to the highest-yield concepts in Teamwork & Leadership, before you dive into the detailed lesson pages.

⭐ What This Section Covers

You’ll explore seven fundamental teamwork and leadership behaviours tested throughout the MSRA:

  • Delegation
    Safe, appropriate allocation of tasks that match competence, supervision, and workload.
  • Supporting Colleagues Under Pressure
    Recognising when team members are overwhelmed and stepping in safely without compromising your own responsibilities.
  • Managing Conflict in a Team
    Addressing communication issues, misunderstandings, and lapses in professionalism in a calm, structured, and fair manner.
  • Taking Responsibility for Team Outcomes
    Owning your role, acknowledging mistakes, and ensuring patient care is never compromised.
  • Recognising Roles & Responsibilities of MDT Members
    Understanding the expertise of nurses, allied health professionals, pharmacists, administrators, and others — and using MDT strengths effectively.
  • Leadership in Emergencies
    Prioritisation, clear commands, role allocation, situational awareness, and escalation in high-pressure situations.
  • Supervision of Junior Staff
    Supporting learning, protecting patient safety, being approachable, and correcting unsafe practice sensitively but firmly.

Each topic is mapped to GMC Good Medical Practice, NHS teamworking expectations, and real MSRA SJT decision-making patterns.

🎯 Why This Section Scores So Highly in the MSRA

Teamworking scenarios in the exam usually involve:

  • A colleague making an error
  • A stressed or struggling team member
  • Poor communication during a handover
  • Tasks being delegated incorrectly
  • A senior giving unsafe instructions
  • MDT conflict
  • An emergency where clear leadership is needed

The SJT marks behaviours that:

  • Keep patients safe
  • Maintain professionalism
  • Promote fairness and respect
  • Improve team communication
  • Follow clinical and organisational guidelines
  • Avoid blame, humiliation, or confrontation
  • Escalate early when needed
  • Support — but never cover up for — colleagues

To score highly in Teamwork and Leadership MSRA ranking questions, you must distinguish between “supporting a friend” and “protecting a patient.” The exam penalises loyalty if it compromises safety.

🧠 High-Yield Exam Mindset

When in doubt, prioritise:

  1. Safety
  2. Clear communication
  3. Appropriate escalation
  4. Fairness as a team member
  5. Respect for roles and boundaries

Low-scoring behaviours include:

  • Blame, confrontation, or shaming
  • Ignoring unsafe behaviour
  • Delegating beyond competence
  • Prioritising loyalty over patient safety
  • “Fixing it quietly”
  • Avoiding escalation in emergencies
  • Micromanagement or refusal to delegate

🔍 Quick MSRA Takeaways

  • Support colleagues, but never at the expense of safety.
  • Delegate tasks only when the individual is competent — and supervised if needed.
  • Step up in emergencies with clear, calm leadership.
  • Address conflict privately, professionally, and without blame.
  • Understand and respect the MDT roles — the SJT rewards this heavily.
  • Recognise when a colleague needs help or supervision.
  • Communicate clearly and escalate early when needed.

Further resources:

📖 References