Shared Leadership Councils
A PART OF NURSING PROFESSIONAL EXCELLENCE
Shared Leadership Councils (SLC) empower inter-professional staff members to define, implement and maintain current practice standards and implement the vision and strategic plan for patient care.
The Coordinating Council provides oversight for organization-wide councils, and unit councils in each department/unit chartered to:
- Engage staff in innovative and collaborative problem-solving and strategy development.
- Encourage discussion and resolution of clinical or professional operational issues.
- Ensure patient safety and promote quality service.
- Drive accountability to the level of frontline staff.
- Provide a vehicle for shared decision-making.
Coordinating Council
The Coordinating Council coordinates, integrates and monitors the activities of the councils and may mediate unresolved issues within or between councils.
- Assure Professional Practice Model is operationalized through the council structure.
- Oversight for setting priorities and delegating authority to councils utilizing established workflow.
- Timely response to issues that arise from the core and unit councils according to the level of urgency.
- Coordinate and monitor the activities of the core and unit councils.
- Review Bylaws annually, make recommendations for amendment, and appoint Bylaws Committee as needed.
- Generate an annual report of the Shared Leadership Councils’ goals and accomplishments to be distributed to shared leadership membership, staff and management.
Research & Innovation Council
The Research & Innovation Council is responsible for decision-making, coordinating and promoting research and evidence-based practice to assure patient care.
- Assists in the research process, creates a culture of clinical inquiry, fosters and supports investigative role development among staff and disseminates results of investigative activities.
- Build capacity to conduct and use research and innovation to advance science and clinical excellence.
- Review and provide guidance for research studies conducted by patient care staff.
- Assess and develop educational, consultative and supportive resources to foster staff in their scientist role.
- Respond to emerging clinical issues by providing resources and consultation.
- Recognize and disseminate results of staff research activities through posters, presentations and publications.
- Facilitate discussion and exchange of information regarding evidence-based practice and integration of research findings.
Magnet & Professional Growth Council
The responsibility of the Professional Growth & Development Council is to:
- Provide a forum to address issues and explore strategies that promote a practice environment which supports and enhances professional achievement and role development.
- Optimize recruitment and retention of talented clinical staff that support the hospital vision.
- Recognize staff contributions to the organization.
- Identify and promote opportunities for professional growth.
- Identify and promote programs that recognize nurses.
- Collaborate with Nurse Recruitment on programs that recruit RNs and promote nursing as a career.
- Serve as a resource for clinical staff retention.
- Identify and promote opportunities for enhancing and monitoring peer to peer accountability.
- Identify and promote processes that create a healthy work environment.
Quality & Informatics Council
The Quality &Informatics Council oversees the development, implementation and evaluation of practice standards and guidelines in accordance with regulatory requirements, evidence-based practice, and professional organizations. This council works to coordinate quality improvement activities across patient care services, and collaborate with unit professional nurses, other disciplines, and the Clinical Informatics Department regarding informatics functionality and workflows.
- Identify “best practices” fostering validation and dissemination across appropriate units.
- Provide feedback for further development of practice changes.
- Disseminate approved practice changes for further evaluation of practice issues with the Coordinating Council.
- Based on established workflow, will address defined issues raised by the clinical nurses and delegated by the Coordinating Council.
- Evaluate feasibility of practice changes and quality improvement initiatives and determine their effects on clinical practice and outcomes.
- Establish an implementation plan for practice changes and quality improvement, with further customization by the unit councils, based on evidence.
- Approve, develop, recommend and revise policies and procedures on practice issues.
- Develop expertise in process and data analysis for select quality improvement initiatives.
- Monitor effectiveness of quality improvement initiatives and indicators.
- Promote accountability of staff in quality initiatives that improve patient care.
Practice & Education
Council
The Practice & Education Council promotes clinical competency and professional growth by instituting an ongoing assessment, plan, and evaluation of educational needs in alignment with nursing strategic plan.
- Evaluate Implementation of Evidence into Practice.
- Teach latest Evidence-Based Practices.
- Ensure Current Practice & Policies are Supported by the Latest EBP.
Ambulatory Shared Leadership Council
The Ambulatory Shared Leadership Council consists of a Coordinating Council and Service-line Councils. The Chairs and Advisors of the Ambulatory Shared Leadership Coordinating Council will attend the Organization-Wide Coordinating Council and Executive Leadership Council for dissemination and alignment.
- Assure Professional Practice Model is operationalized through the council structure.
- Oversight for setting priorities and delegating authority to councils utilizing established workflow.
- Timely response to issues that arise from the core and unit councils according to the level of urgency.
- Coordinate and monitor the activities of the core and unit councils.
- Review Bylaws annually, make recommendations for amendment, and appoint Bylaws Committee as needed.
- Generate an annual report of the Shared Leadership Councils’ goals and accomplishments to be distributed to shared leadership membership, staff and management.
Executive Leadership Council
The Executive Leadership Council provides leadership, coordination and planning for nursing services. In addition, this Council provides a forum for Nursing Leaders in all departments to communicate about common issues related to nursing practice, workflow, and the nursing professional practice environment.
- Establish priorities for nursing outcomes, processes, resources and activities throughout the organization by:
- Identifying the strategic imperatives, goals, and initiatives established by senior leadership and related hospital departments including but not limited to Quality, Patient Safety & Effectiveness Department Medical Staff Office, and Process Excellence.
- Assures the priorities of Shared Leadership Councils are in alignment with hospital and departmental strategic priorities.
- Provides a forum to share nursing outcomes from all areas where nursing is practiced.
- Assure coordination and collaboration between departments so that nursing practice is consistent and meets regulatory standards.
- Ensure scope of nursing practice is followed.
- Provide oversight for the implementation of new critical, house-wide nursing policies, procedures and initiatives.
- Enhance nursing practice across the continuum of care.
- Develop a plan for nursing leadership development and succession planning.
- Guide recruitment, retention, engagement and professional satisfaction of nurses.
- Provide a forum to review Magnet requirements at the enterprise level and develop strategies to enhance the Magnet culture throughout the institution.
- Review data and develops action plans for relevant nursing indicators, outcomes and practice.
- Provide a forum to link activities between Service Lines and nursing services.