title: Can nurses govern in a government agency?
abstract: A shared governance model was implemented within the nursing service of the Durham Veterans Affairs Medical Center in 1997. In 1999, members of the Nursing Quality/Staff Education/Research Council examined facility nurses' perceptions of governance to determine the degree to which the model had been implemented. Results of the study indicate that although imperatives at the organizational level were incompatible with three aspects of shared governance, there were three shared governance dimensions pertaining to basic nursing practice that reached or surpassed governance thresholds. This study highlights the potential of nursing management innovation within highly bureaucratic organizations.
authors.affiliation: Durham Veterans Affairs Medical Center, North Carolina, USA.
authors.forename: J N
authors.initials: JN
authors.lastname: Howell
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Frederick
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Olinger
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Leftridge
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Bell
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hess
authors.forename: E C
authors.initials: EC
authors.lastname: Clipp
mesh_terms: D000046:Academic Medical Centers / Q000458:organization & administration*; D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D003659:Decision Making, Organizational; D005260:Female; D006077:Government Agencies / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006787:Hospitals, Veterans / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016294:Models, Nursing; D009657:North Carolina; D015401:Nursing Administration Research; D009741:Nursing Staff, Hospital / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000523:psychology*; D009937:Organizational Objectives; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D017009:Professional Autonomy; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States; D014493:United States Department of Veterans Affairs