Yes, We Can and Did: Engaging and Empowering Nurses Through Shared Governance in a Rural Health Care Setting

Abstract

The ever-increasing demands on health care systems to improve patient satisfaction, manage costs, improve the quality of care, and promote a healthy work environment known as the Triple Aim Plus One, has forced many organizations to reorganize, merge, affiliate, or close their doors entirely. At the center of any organization that hopes to be successful in achieving the Triple Aim Plus One, is an engaged nursing workforce.1 According to the Press Ganey employee engagement database, 15 of every 100 nurses are considered disengaged (thus lacking commitment and/or satisfaction with their work). Conservative estimates suggest that each disengaged nurse costs an organization $22,200 in lost revenue due to a lack in productivity.2 There have been many studies that have shown the impact nurses have on both patient satisfaction and quality of care outcomes.1,3 The challenges have been how to keep nurses in the rapid-fire, tumultuous health care environment from burning out and how to promote a high level of engagement. One method of achieving a high level of nurse engagement is the implementation of shared governance.4 The purpose of this article is to share the story of how one rural health care system ignited nurse engagement through the implementation of shared governance.