Shared Governance
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On behalf of the Chair, Chair-Elect, and Council members it is a pleasure to welcome you to the Nursing Shared Governance Council. You will recieve a packet to introduce the Model of shared governance at Nemours as well as some of the responsibilities of the representatives. You will also learn about the basic flow and structure of a council meeting. Within this packet are steps that will instruct you on how to access important Council information, complete a quarterly report, or track time spent on shared governance duties.
So now that you’re here you may have at some point asked: “What is shared governance?” In our bylaws, Nemours Shared Governance is defined as “A dynamic process, built on trust and communication, which focuses on four core values: Professionalism, Knowledge, Leadership, and Caring/Compassion. A fundamental element in shared governance is that Nursing Staff at every level in the organization should govern their practice and be included in decisions that affect their practice.”
Council meetings take place monthly, generally on the third Thursday of every month. The meetings function as a way for the nurse at the bedside to be included in decisions or updates of which she/he would not normally be a part. Meetings serve as a forum of sharing information about all of the units and patient care areas within Nemours. This includes inpatient and outpatient units and satellite clinics that are located outside the walls of the Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children.
The heart or foundation of shared governance lies at the unit level. This is where nurses can identify a patient care need or clinical practice issue that needs improvement. Here you have the ability to question if your practice is based on evidence or conventional wisdom. It is our hope that you have already attended a unit based meeting in your patient care area. If you have not then talk with your manager about how shared governance is working or can work on your unit. You will also find a document contained in this packet that describes forming a unit based committee.
If you are not sure who is in the shared governance council you can refer to the updated list enclosed in this packet. There may be some changes to the council membership throughout the year, so if you have a question and are having difficulty contacting a member of the council, be encouraged to contact the chair and chair-elect. They will help guide you in the right direction. You will also find the dates for all upcoming meetings this calendar year. Changes to meeting dates are emailed to the council as soon as possible. Be sure to check your email regularly to be notified of any council information or updates.
We would like you to have a couple tips to make your transition to your new role a little easier. You may hear frequent mention of the ‘S Drive.’ Pages 8 and 9 tell you how to access your S and U drive. S drive is a shared drive and contains a plethora of information and documents. Here you will find a Shared Governance folder where you can view and print previous presentations of past council meetings. You will also find templates for quarterly reports and time tracking tools. Once you find what you want you can copy it to your U drive. The U drive is your personal drive for storing information or documents. You have access to Word, Excel, and other important programs. It is important to familiarize yourself with both the S and U drives. Do not be intimidated if this is all brand new to you. We are here to help! Just contact the chair, chair-elect, or another council member with any questions you have. Once you get started you will love how accessible information is and how easily you can create, store, and organize files.
