Shared Governance Essay
Empowering Clinical Staff through Shared Governance
Shared governance as a conceptual structure model for empowered decision making by frontline clinical nurses was first introduced by Virginia Clealand in 1975 ( Porter-O’Grady, 2004). Shared governance has at its core the underlying assumption that the bedside clinical nurse is best equipped at determining the most therapeutic care for their patient. It is the ideal model for delivery of care because it allows for collaboration between interdisciplinary clinical staff and administrators. This unified collaboration results in comprehensive patient care with improved health outcomes. Successful implementation of shared governance model requires flexibility and creativity from administration, …show more content…
leadership and the clinical team. Each of the three disciplines must seek to become unified in vision and strategy in order for a cultural change to take place, and the benefits of shared governance to be realized, (Brewton, 2012).
Administration must have a paradigm shift in control and move from an autocratic delivery model to a flatter structure model that is more representative of a democratic style of leadership. Additionally, they must foster an environment in which professional respect is extended to every member within the organization. Open communication must also occur and should be multidimensional in order to promote cohesiveness and facilitate goal setting and outcomes measurement. Strong support by the administration facilitates the culture change that is necessary to implement shared governance, and place decision making for patient care in the hands of the clinical nurse, thereby ensuring better patient outcomes and improved satisfaction of patients and nursing staff.
In addition to the changes within the administration transformational leadership by nursing management is essential to facilitate change, (Bamford-Wade, 2010).
Managers must provide their clinical staff with the time and tools necessary to enact changes in delivery of care. Leaders must also assume the role of facilitator rather than that of director for the benefits of shared governance to be realized. As managers become competent in their roles of facilitation, productivity and patient satisfaction increase. Competent nurse leaders frequently utilize the “Four I’s” of transformational leadership, Idealized influence, Inspirational motivation, Intellectual stimulation, and Individual consideration, when developing staff, (Bamford-Wade, 2010). Empowerment of their clinical nurses is essential to insure the implementation of comprehensive quality …show more content…
care.
Empowerment of the frontline nurse enables them to make decisions in their patients care, utilizing their critical thinking skills, research data, and patient preference. Evidenced based practice is the cornerstone of their care. When shared governance is practiced the clinical nurse has the ability to be a strong patient advocate. This results in improved patient outcomes, higher satisfaction ratings by patients, increased productivity, less stress for staff and higher retention levels of staff. Research has consistently shown the benefits of shared governance and it is one of the requirements for magnet status as recognized by the American Nursing Credentialing Center (ANCC), (Brewton, 2012).
In conclusion, to achieve the highest level of care possible, shared governance must be successfully integrated within an organization.
This can only occur through collaboration between administrators, leadership and clinical staff. Administrators must be willing to share power and move toward a democratic model of control. Empowerment of their clinical staff and transformational leadership is required from all nurse leaders, (Bamford-Wade, 2012). Clinical staff and frontline nurses must take ownership of their practice and be instruments of change within the new structure. When administrators, managers, and frontline nurses, all work synergistically together through the shared governance model, the result is improvements in both patient outcomes and staff
satisfaction.
References
Bamford-Wade, Anita, & Moss, Cheryle, (2010), Transformational leadership and share governance: an action study, Journal of Nursing Management, 18,815-821, doi:10.111/j.1365-2834.2010.01134.x
Brewton, Christine, Eppling, Joe, Hobley, Mattie, (2012), Our voice: an interdisciplinary approach to shared governance, Hospital Topics, 90, 39-46, doi: 10.1080/00185868. 2012.679910
Krive, Jacob, (2013), Building effective workforce management practices through shared governance and technology systems integration, Nursing Economics, 31, 231-249, Retrieved from http://web.b.ebscohost.com.vortex3.uco.edu:2050/ehost/search/basic?sid =cffc87d2-bb01-4c96-9d6e-3156a72a0c74%40sessionmgr198&vid=0&hid=118
Porter-O’Grady, Tim, (2004), Shared governance is it a model for nurses to gain control over t their practice, The Online Journal of Nursing, Retrieved from http://www.nursing world.org.MainMenuCategories/ANAMarketplace/ANAPeriodicals/OJIN/Tableofcontent /Voume92004/No1Jan04/Overview.html/
Shared governance as a conceptual structure model for empowered decision making by frontline clinical nurses was first introduced by Virginia Clealand in 1975 ( Porter-O’Grady, 2004). Shared governance has at its core the underlying assumption that the bedside clinical nurse is best equipped at determining the most therapeutic care for their patient. It is the ideal model for delivery of care because it allows for collaboration between interdisciplinary clinical staff and administrators. This unified collaboration results in comprehensive patient care with improved health outcomes. Successful implementation of shared governance model requires flexibility and creativity from administration, …show more content…
leadership and the clinical team. Each of the three disciplines must seek to become unified in vision and strategy in order for a cultural change to take place, and the benefits of shared governance to be realized, (Brewton, 2012).
Administration must have a paradigm shift in control and move from an autocratic delivery model to a flatter structure model that is more representative of a democratic style of leadership. Additionally, they must foster an environment in which professional respect is extended to every member within the organization. Open communication must also occur and should be multidimensional in order to promote cohesiveness and facilitate goal setting and outcomes measurement. Strong support by the administration facilitates the culture change that is necessary to implement shared governance, and place decision making for patient care in the hands of the clinical nurse, thereby ensuring better patient outcomes and improved satisfaction of patients and nursing staff.
In addition to the changes within the administration transformational leadership by nursing management is essential to facilitate change, (Bamford-Wade, 2010).
Managers must provide their clinical staff with the time and tools necessary to enact changes in delivery of care. Leaders must also assume the role of facilitator rather than that of director for the benefits of shared governance to be realized. As managers become competent in their roles of facilitation, productivity and patient satisfaction increase. Competent nurse leaders frequently utilize the “Four I’s” of transformational leadership, Idealized influence, Inspirational motivation, Intellectual stimulation, and Individual consideration, when developing staff, (Bamford-Wade, 2010). Empowerment of their clinical nurses is essential to insure the implementation of comprehensive quality …show more content…
care.
Empowerment of the frontline nurse enables them to make decisions in their patients care, utilizing their critical thinking skills, research data, and patient preference. Evidenced based practice is the cornerstone of their care. When shared governance is practiced the clinical nurse has the ability to be a strong patient advocate. This results in improved patient outcomes, higher satisfaction ratings by patients, increased productivity, less stress for staff and higher retention levels of staff. Research has consistently shown the benefits of shared governance and it is one of the requirements for magnet status as recognized by the American Nursing Credentialing Center (ANCC), (Brewton, 2012).
In conclusion, to achieve the highest level of care possible, shared governance must be successfully integrated within an organization.
This can only occur through collaboration between administrators, leadership and clinical staff. Administrators must be willing to share power and move toward a democratic model of control. Empowerment of their clinical staff and transformational leadership is required from all nurse leaders, (Bamford-Wade, 2012). Clinical staff and frontline nurses must take ownership of their practice and be instruments of change within the new structure. When administrators, managers, and frontline nurses, all work synergistically together through the shared governance model, the result is improvements in both patient outcomes and staff
satisfaction.
References
Bamford-Wade, Anita, & Moss, Cheryle, (2010), Transformational leadership and share governance: an action study, Journal of Nursing Management, 18,815-821, doi:10.111/j.1365-2834.2010.01134.x
Brewton, Christine, Eppling, Joe, Hobley, Mattie, (2012), Our voice: an interdisciplinary approach to shared governance, Hospital Topics, 90, 39-46, doi: 10.1080/00185868. 2012.679910
Krive, Jacob, (2013), Building effective workforce management practices through shared governance and technology systems integration, Nursing Economics, 31, 231-249, Retrieved from http://web.b.ebscohost.com.vortex3.uco.edu:2050/ehost/search/basic?sid =cffc87d2-bb01-4c96-9d6e-3156a72a0c74%40sessionmgr198&vid=0&hid=118
Porter-O’Grady, Tim, (2004), Shared governance is it a model for nurses to gain control over t their practice, The Online Journal of Nursing, Retrieved from http://www.nursing world.org.MainMenuCategories/ANAMarketplace/ANAPeriodicals/OJIN/Tableofcontent /Voume92004/No1Jan04/Overview.html/