Shared governance: 10 years later
Ann Heilig RN, CCRN
Donald D. Kautz PhD, RN
Pamela Madden RN
Judy B. McDowell MSN, RN, CCRN
Amy Thompson MHA, RN
Randy L. Williams II, MSN, RN, MBA

$7.95 		Nursing Management
July 2010 
Volume 41  Number 7
Pages 32 - 37
 
  PDF Version Available!

ABSTRACT
Shared governance was the buzz in nursing in the 1990s, and many nursing departments implemented shared governance models. More recently, shared governance has been spurred on by the quest to earn and maintain American Nurses Credentialing Center Magnet® recognition.1Our organization, an 872-bed academic medical center hospital, defines shared governance as an organizational framework that affords nurses professional autonomy, empowers professional nursing staff and managers to contribute to the decision-making process, and recognizes the expertise of bedside clinicians. In our hospital, issues related to patient care, nursing practice, and the work environment are discussed through shared governance, with all decisions being made with the patient/family as the central focus.In 1996, the CNO presented the concept of shared governance to the administrative team for nursing. The team agreed that shared governance would be embraced at our organization and decided to proceed with its adoption. In Fall 2006, a shared governance restructuring team began work to improve the communication process, enhance accountability, and involve a greater number of direct care nurses in decision-making. Nurse representatives from throughout the hospital served on this restructuring team that met for approximately 1 year. Through the work of the restructuring team and as a result of focus groups that were conducted, the coordinating council, as well as manager-led staff meetings, was dissolved and stronger, more inclusive, unit-based councils were formed. (See "Shared governance model 1996–2007" and "Shared governance model 2007.")Shared governance originates at the bedside, with every staff member of a unit belonging to the unit-based council. Unit councils are empowered to make decisions on issues that are unit-specific. Issues that may impact sister units are referred to a divisional council of like units. The divisional councils are empowered to make decisions on issues that

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