Nursing

INTRODUCTION

At CARE, nurses have a voice in establishing nursing practice, standards, and level of care using the shared governance model. The high professional status of CARE hospitals’ nurses is expressed in this model. The purposes of establishing CARE Nursing Shared Governance are to:

1. Provide a framework that will allow nurses to govern their practice with a greater degree of professional autonomy;
2. Define the scope of the Unit-Based Councils' accountability, authority, and responsibility for practice-related decisions;
3. Create a framework and method for management and unit-based council communication and coordination;
4. Give the unit-based council the tools it needs to promote decision-and problem-solving inside the unit.

The Council structure is a significant shared governance mechanism for nursing at CARE. Nursing professionals participate in the Councils, which are decision-making bodies, in setting objectives and priorities and making choices that have an impact on nursing practice, patient care, or other aspects of professional practice. Through its Councils, the professional nursing staff coordinates, administers, and organizes the provision of nursing care services. Individual nursing units handle issues and concerns pertaining to practice, performance evaluation/research, education, and professional development. This is done by the unit-based councils, which handle issues unique to the unit's patient population.

UNIT BASED COUNCILS

MISSION

The Unit-Based Councils identify areas for nursing practice improvement in their individual units or departments that will improve the quality of patient care. The fundamental method for staff nurses making operational and professional practice decisions at the unit level is the Unit-Based Council framework.

GOALS

1. To maintain and ensure standards for care quality and patient safety through research, policies, and procedures that are based on the best available evidence.

2. To find areas where nursing practice can be improved in order to provide patients with the best possible care.

CENTRAL COUNCILS

Shared government under CARE is composed of central councils.

Nursing Professional Practice & Quality Council

MISSION

The Nursing Professional Practice & Quality Council creates the theory and body of evidence for nursing practice, establishes nursing practice standards, assesses nursing practice, including the identification and analysis of nurse sensitive indicators, develops the culture of professional practice, and specifies the professional and functional roles of the Registered Nurse.

GOALS

1. To keep the patient at the center of all nursing and healthcare activities.

2. To create, assess, and update evidence-based nursing standards of care, rules, guidelines, and instruction for CARE Nursing.

3. To improve systems and processes in order to produce quality patient outcomes.

4. To continuously raise the bar for nursing practice based on the most recent research and advanced practice guidelines.

Nursing Professional Development Council

MISSION

The Professional Development Council fosters the growth and development of all nursing staff members by providing educational programs that address professional nursing practice. The council promotes and upholds a setting that develops the nursing profession and a practice culture based on concepts of professional practice and role competency.

GOALS

1. To establish, carry out, and uphold educational standards that support career advancement and continued clinical expertise.

2. To promote and assist nursing staff in pursuing further education and professional certification.

3. To clarify and further the function of the professional nurse at CARE.

Evidence Based Practice & Nursing Research Council

MISSION

The Evidence-Based Practice and Nursing Research Council (ERC) encourages nursing research-related activities that are crucial for the advancement of evidence-based practice, the quality of results, and patient care that is cost-effective.

GOALS

1. To encourage primary nursing research and evidence-based nursing practice in order to improve patient care outcomes.

2. To train staff nurses in research techniques and procedures for assessing and putting clinically suitable evidence-based practice into practice.

3. To facilitate the approval and implementation of primary nursing research projects.

4. To encourage and make it easier for nursing research projects and evidence-based nursing practice to be published verbally and in writing.

Advanced Practice Nursing Council

MISSION

The Advanced Practice Nursing Council offers a venue to support and encourage Advanced Practice Nurse participation in activities that enhance performance, professional development and clinical growth, research, and education. This council supports the advanced practice role through organizational participation, mentoring, teamwork, independent clinical decision-making, and improved inter-professional communication.

GOALS

1. To enhance the Advanced Practice Nurse's function at CARE.

2. To boost the Advanced Practice Nurse Council's function within the shared governance framework.

3. To promote the delivery of high-quality care by promoting research, teaching, and evidence-based practice.

Workforce Retention Council

MISSION

The Workforce Retention Council supports leadership to address workforce related pressures in the units through recruitment, promotion and retention activities. This council will work closely with Nurse Managers to think innovatively about the measures they put in place individually and collectively, including team building activities, internal recruitment and promotions. It will be important to retain existing staff capacity as well as encourage new and returning staff.

GOALS

1. To support nursing staff to maintain the provision of safe care and bolstering capacity within nursing staff to deliver appropriate hours of care

2. To support and boost retention of staff within CARE Nursing

Innovation and Technology Council

MISSION

The Innovation and Technology Council is comprised of a cross-functional set of senior nurses tasked with overseeing innovation and technology across the organization. This council brings together nursing staff working on or interested in learning more about innovation and technology in the healthcare industry.

GOALS

1. To organize capability investments according to priority.

2. To foster commonality across CARE Nursing.

3. To balance tensions between current and new innovation efforts.

Nurse Manager Council

MISSION

The Nurse Manager Council cultivates an atmosphere that supports quality, research, education, and patient outcomes while also fostering excellence in nursing practice. This is achieved with the help of the Nurse Managers and the accountability to the organizational structures, as well as to the financial, material, and human resources.

GOALS

1. To encourage quality nursing practice, research, education, and successful patient outcomes.

2. To direct the strategic development of nursing practice at CARE.

3. To support the need for council resources.

4. To coordinate council activities within and with other healthcare disciplines.

Nursing Executive Council

MISSION

The Nursing Executive Council is dedicated to enhancing and promoting nursing practice through the shared governance model's frameworks. This council improves the practice of professional nursing and offers strategic and operational guidance for CARE Nursing

GOALS

1. To provide oversight and leadership for CARE Nursing.

2. To act as a change agent by providing infrastructure and leadership support.