HOBART — Nurses at St. Mary Medical Center are benefiting from the use of a new approach to the decision-making process – one that is designed to improve the quality of patient care and aid in their own professional development. The model, called Shared Governance, combines group or team leadership with participative decision-making, and creates an environment conducive for nurses to share their findings and experience.
Staff nurses along with administration and the nursing leadership team formed a council that met for over a year to create a model specifically for St. Mary Medical Center.
“We wanted to make sure it was implemented in the right way so that it was a true shared governance model that was purposeful in its design and inclusive of staff,” said Tammie Jones, RN, MS, Vice President Patient Care Services and Chief Nursing Officer, St. Mary Medical Center.
