Impacting Nurse Job Satisfaction and Engagement Through Shared Governance

Problem: Shared governance (SG) has been identified as an effective process to promote shared decision-making between direct care nurses and nursing leadership. However, barriers were identified at a large hospital system in the Southeastern United States (US) that postponed the full implementation of SG. This prevented nurses from having input on policies and actions that directly affected their work. Purpose: The purpose of this evidence-based project (EBP) was to determine if unit-based SG improved job satisfaction and engagement for nurses on inpatient medical-surgical units at a large hospital system in the Southeastern US. Method: Five medical-surgical units were identified to participate in the project, with each unit identifying a chair, co-chair, and secretary. Each unit planned to conduct a strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) analysis of their unit during their first meeting, and then the unit would identify at least one project to address. A project plan included the development of using the specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) goal format. Analysis: The planned measurement tool for this project was the Practice Environment Scale of the Nursing Work Index (PES-NWI) which assesses both job satisfaction and engagement. Implications for Practice: SG continues to play an important role in job satisfaction and engagement. With the impact of COVID-19 on the healthcare culture and environment, future research on SG post-pandemic would be beneficial to ensure continued support and engagement of the nursing profession