[flav]

is good to have a friendship with your coworkers, and does it help with teamwork and better patients care

[TazziRN]

It does help because you have no problem asking for help if you need it, and you cover for each other when one is tied up with something. It also makes for a pleasant work environment because you enjoy being there. It is possible to have this work environment with people that you don't necessarily like, but respect as peers, but if you have a real problem with a coworker, it can make for a very looooong and uncomfortable shift. I've worked with both kinds; when I went back after maternity leave I was dreading it because of the RN I would be working with...she was a bully. On my first day back I found out she'd been terminated the day before, and I kid you not, I did a happy dance! It felt like a weight was lifted from my shoulders.