Leading the way to shared governance

Abstract

In 1983, the constitution and bylaws for shared governance were ratified by the Professional Nurse Council and endorsed by the Board of Directors of St. Luke's Medical Center (Milwaukee, Wisconsin). After 7 years, it was clear that the shared governance model needed revision. With the help of input from nurses, focus groups and an outside consultant, a task force developed a new model emphasizing decentralized decision-making that affords the individual nurse accountability.