Moving Shared Governance to the Next Level

The shared decision making professional practice model of shared governance supports positive nursing working environments and patient outcomes. Achieving and sustaining clinical nurse involvement with unit councils can be challenging. Nursing leaders of a large healthcare system with approximately 650 patient beds across 5 hospitals utilized the Council Health Survey to assess unit-based councils' health. Interventions for strengthening shared governance in the organization included enhancements of unit council structures and training for chairs and leaders based on the survey findings.