The shared governance leadership model was popularized in the 1980s to empower nurses to take control of decision-making in healthcare settings. Over the past 40 years, shared governance has become the core of hospital governance across the nation 1. The critical concept of nursing shared governance is the shared decision-making between the bedside nurses and the leadership. Areas of shared decision-making in nursing include nursing research and evidence-based projects, resources, staffing, and new equipment purchase 2. Shared governance in nursing allows registered nurses to meet goals outlined in the Institute of Medicine’s landmark report. The purpose of this paper is to discuss shared governance in the nursing profession.
Are you looking for such an essay? Order an original nursing essay assignment from the best papers essay writers
Shared Governance in Nursing
Shared governance in nursing is not new in the nursing community. It is a set of policies and regulations that enable nurses to participate in the decision-making process 1. The idea behind shared governance is to share responsibilities among the group members instead of just one member of the group. The American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) incorporated shared governance as a provision for excellence when it established its Magnet Recognition Program for hospitals and medical centers. According to 2, nursing shared governance is the pillar of the ANCC Magnet culture. The application of the model in a hospital promotes better nurse satisfaction and improved patient outcomes. A healthcare organization that wishes to implement shared governance should first have a better understanding of the model, including pitfalls 2. Open communication and collaboration among team members are the best practices for overcoming these and other potential barriers to the implementation of shared governance.