Nursing

Ask the expert: Setting goals for shared governance

HCPro's Weekly Update on the ANCC Magnet Recognition Program®*, September 8, 2009

This week, a reader asks about how to link shared governance councils and functions to overall goals. Read the response from advisor Meryl Montgomery, RN, MSN, ANCC Magnet Recognition Program® program coordinator at the Medical Center of Central Georgia in Macon.

Q: How can we link our shared governance council structures and functions to outcome successes or to goals achieved?  

A: We have overall goals of shared governance and we share them for all to see.

Goals are to meet or exceed the highest level of a benchmark (whether national, regional, state, or MCCG benchmark).

1. Nurse satisfaction including professionalism, governance, communication, relationships, and others:

  • NDNQI nurse satisfaction survey.
  • Hospital employee opinion surveys.


2. Nursing strategic goal achievement: goal 90%. Strategic goals are set by councils such as quality, practice, education, and all link to hospitalwide goals.

3. Professional growth:

  • Number of professionally certified nurses: This number is determined by the professional development council and reflects a percentage increase each year.
  • Number attaining professional nursing ladder represented by a percentage increase.
  • Number of educational activities: This reflects online courses as well as computer based, instructor led, and unit based.


4. Participation in patient care and nursing practice decision making:

  • Frontline nursing representation on all appropriate committees and task forces (see policy on nursing representation on committees and task forces).
  • Participation in unit and shared governance activities: numbers and percentages.


Editor's note: Do you have a question for our experts? If you would like us to consider your query for publication, please e-mail it to senior managing editor Rebecca Hendren at rhendren@hcpro.com.

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