On 2015 Mar 25, University of Kansas School of Nursing Journal Club commented:

Team 10: Jenny Allin, Lauren Andrus, Morgan Cross, Stephanie Gass, Joey Leoni, Jamie Lockwood, Ryan Rogers, Malorie Schuler

Upon near completion of nursing school, our class has discussed numerous topics pertaining to leadership, change agency, and collaboration, or shared governance. Our group selected this article because it encompasses the true importance of collaboration between professions, as well as displaying the true impact that nurses can have on the overall work environment and structure. Thus far we have discovered many opportunities that we will have as future nurses to become an active member in our organization. In one instance, we may become part of committees in order to give a voice to the nursing profession during in major policy changes or decision-making processes. The selected article displays the ways in which the interwoven relationship between transformational leadership and shared governance can result in a successful and motivating work environment. Additionally, we found this article to answer the question as to whether or not nurses can both impact change and promote advancements in the overall structure, while also feeling more empowered and self-confident with such involvement.

The information from this descriptive and exploratory study, found by means of the CINAHL database, was obtained from personal reflective practices and self-reporting. The creators of the study collected the data by speaking with nurses involved in transformational leadership and the impact shared governance has on their unit and patient care as a whole. In order to acquire relevant articles to the topic we wished to review the following keywords were used: shared governance, nursing, and leadership. Our group feels the population targeted by the authors are nurses that lack confidence and motivation that their involvement in shared governance committees and processes. The nurses identified in the study do not yet realize that their input can and will make a positive impact on their peers as well as their patients. We also feel that members from various other healthcare professions could have been targeted in this study, albeit secondarily. It would be beneficial for other team members to review this study and discover the contributions nursing can make if given the respect and opportunity to do so.

Overall, this study reinforced the fact that shared governance when paired with transformational leadership, results in a profession that can “function effectively in a contemporary healthcare environment” (Bamford-Wade & Moss, 2010, p.819). When a unit or structure provides these opportunities for their employees, those employees are then filled with a greater sense of worth, self-esteem, autonomy, and responsibility (Bamford-Wade & Moss, 2010). Although this study was conducted and completed in New Zealand, the findings were consistent with that of research attained through studies in the United States. It is interesting to see the particular successes in healthcare translate to numerous locations and cultures around the world. While our group felt this article was reliable as well as valid, we would have liked to see more concrete data and statistics related to the impact of shared governance. Self-reporting and reflections are advantageous because they disclose information that numerical figures cannot, however, specific quantitative data may have made the study much stronger.

Information on transformational leadership and shared governance is imperative to professionals in the nursing practice. It encourages nurses to be aware of the opportunities they have available in order to become an agent of change in his or her organization. These two topics are not absolutely understood, and therefore are often overlooked or ignored by many registered nurses that have the capacity to make an incredible difference. As new graduates, it will be easy to forget these opportunities and to believe that our voices will not be heard. Our group discussed that reviewing articles and examining research that cover these topics reminds us that our profession does not simply consist of completing tasks and charting. Rather, personal and individualized patient care, safety, and beneficial work environments are essential components to our career as well, and who better to advocate for nurses than themselves? We enjoyed this article because it coincided with the information from through several of our previous BSN courses, and made us feel empowered to become leaders and members of shared governance teams in the future. While leadership may initially begin at the unit level, RN contributions can expand through the different chains of command and result in a facility-wide change in patient care.

On 2015 Mar 25, University of Kansas School of Nursing Journal Club commented:

Team 10: Jenny Allin, Lauren Andrus, Morgan Cross, Stephanie Gass, Joey Leoni, Jamie Lockwood, Ryan Rogers, Malorie Schuler

Upon near completion of nursing school, our class has discussed numerous topics pertaining to leadership, change agency, and collaboration, or shared governance. Our group selected this article because it encompasses the true importance of collaboration between professions, as well as displaying the true impact that nurses can have on the overall work environment and structure. Thus far we have discovered many opportunities that we will have as future nurses to become an active member in our organization. In one instance, we may become part of committees in order to give a voice to the nursing profession during in major policy changes or decision-making processes. The selected article displays the ways in which the interwoven relationship between transformational leadership and shared governance can result in a successful and motivating work environment. Additionally, we found this article to answer the question as to whether or not nurses can both impact change and promote advancements in the overall structure, while also feeling more empowered and self-confident with such involvement.

The information from this descriptive and exploratory study, found by means of the CINAHL database, was obtained from personal reflective practices and self-reporting. The creators of the study collected the data by speaking with nurses involved in transformational leadership and the impact shared governance has on their unit and patient care as a whole. In order to acquire relevant articles to the topic we wished to review the following keywords were used: shared governance, nursing, and leadership. Our group feels the population targeted by the authors are nurses that lack confidence and motivation that their involvement in shared governance committees and processes. The nurses identified in the study do not yet realize that their input can and will make a positive impact on their peers as well as their patients. We also feel that members from various other healthcare professions could have been targeted in this study, albeit secondarily. It would be beneficial for other team members to review this study and discover the contributions nursing can make if given the respect and opportunity to do so.

Overall, this study reinforced the fact that shared governance when paired with transformational leadership, results in a profession that can “function effectively in a contemporary healthcare environment” (Bamford-Wade & Moss, 2010, p.819). When a unit or structure provides these opportunities for their employees, those employees are then filled with a greater sense of worth, self-esteem, autonomy, and responsibility (Bamford-Wade & Moss, 2010). Although this study was conducted and completed in New Zealand, the findings were consistent with that of research attained through studies in the United States. It is interesting to see the particular successes in healthcare translate to numerous locations and cultures around the world. While our group felt this article was reliable as well as valid, we would have liked to see more concrete data and statistics related to the impact of shared governance. Self-reporting and reflections are advantageous because they disclose information that numerical figures cannot, however, specific quantitative data may have made the study much stronger.

Information on transformational leadership and shared governance is imperative to professionals in the nursing practice. It encourages nurses to be aware of the opportunities they have available in order to become an agent of change in his or her organization. These two topics are not absolutely understood, and therefore are often overlooked or ignored by many registered nurses that have the capacity to make an incredible difference. As new graduates, it will be easy to forget these opportunities and to believe that our voices will not be heard. Our group discussed that reviewing articles and examining research that cover these topics reminds us that our profession does not simply consist of completing tasks and charting. Rather, personal and individualized patient care, safety, and beneficial work environments are essential components to our career as well, and who better to advocate for nurses than themselves? We enjoyed this article because it coincided with the information from through several of our previous BSN courses, and made us feel empowered to become leaders and members of shared governance teams in the future. While leadership may initially begin at the unit level, RN contributions can expand through the different chains of command and result in a facility-wide change in patient care.