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Developing and operating a council model

HCPro's Weekly Update on the ANCC Magnet Recognition Program®*, December 12, 2006

At Saint Joseph's Hospital (SJH) in Atlanta, GA, an ANCC Magnet Recognition Program®-designated facility since 1995, a council model was developed by a team of staff and nursing leadership. The councils consist of education, quality assurance, management, and nursing standards. Once the council structure was determined, membership criteria needed to be developed and members selected. Prospective members for the staff councils completed applications for membership and were selected by the development team. Today, the council members select the new members. Currently, members are selected for a two-year term and rotate in either October or April, thus limiting the amount of turnover at one time. The chair and vice chair each serve for two years, so the longest possible term one can serve on a council is six years. Once the nursing division council model was assigned and implemented, each nursing unit was expected to develop a similar structure.

When they were formed, the councils had eight to 12 members. As the model matured, these members were often forwarded for membership by their respective unit-based governance committees. On the staff councils, only the staff RNs could vote with a leader serving as an advisor. CNSs were also assigned to a council for support, without voting privileges. Also, the councils asked other hospital professionals to serve in advisory, non-voting capacities. Councils also invited other hospital staff to attend council meetings, as needed.

Source: Adapted from HCPro's new book, Shared Governance: A Practical Approach to Reshaping Professional Nursing Practice. Click here for more information.

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