Shared Leadership Councils

Nursing Shared Leadership Councils invite UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh nurses to participate in decision-making that impacts their work environment and patient care. Among the actions the councils take is approving policies and procedures related to each council's area of focus. This is an important way that Children's empowers nurses and helps them grow professionally.

Nursing Shared Leadership Councils:

Scope:
Nurses from all settings and roles in collaboration with other disciplines actively participating in the promotion and advancement of current evidence and research to guide clinical practice.

Purpose:
To encourage the development of EBP/ Research initiatives, to foster a research friendly environment, and to examine and integrate existing evidence into current practice.

Nursing Role:
Council: To discuss clinical questions, unit based EBP/ QI projects, clinical practice changes, and review current literature
Unit: Communicate and disseminate to all clinical staff the initiatives regarding evidence-based practice and nursing research as developed by the council.

Scope:
Identify challenges and implement solutions to support a healthy work environment through promoting education and professional development.

Purpose:
To develop, implement, and support programs that improve a healthy work environment and encourage continuing education and professional growth.

Nursing Role:
Council members will continue to assess the need for change and work to improve factors that affect a healthy work environment, as well as assess unit-based needs for education and professional development. Unit members will disseminate and communicate council initiatives to all staff within their department.

Scope:
Nurse leaders actively engage nurses at all levels and interdisciplinary departments in decision-making regarding the nursing division.

Purpose:
To engage nurses at all levels in identifying, prioritizing, and implementing strategic initiatives within nursing that positively impact patient, family, and staff outcomes.

Nursing Role:
Council: Collaborate to make decisions that impact the nursing division.
Unit: Members are responsible for communicating and disseminating information to their respective units on a monthly basis.

Scope:
Staff from all settings and roles will actively participate in identifying issues, discussing recommendations, and implementing solutions to support a consistent standard of excellence for the patient/family experience.

Purpose:
Recognize opportunities for improvement to develop, implement, and support change initiatives that improve the patient/family experience.

Member Role:
Council members will continue to assess the need for change and work to improve factors that affect the patient experience. Members will disseminate and communicate council initiatives to all staff within their department. Members are required to attend 75% of council meetings and are permitted to use conference call participation for two meetings.

Scope:
Nurses from all settings and roles, along with multi-disciplinary team members, actively participate in organizational decision-making that affect clinical practice within the nursing division.

Purpose:
To review policies and standards of care to ensure current best practice is being utilized throughout the organization; to ensure staff is made aware of policy changes and has access to policies; to provide a forum to discuss practice issues and collaborate to ensure best practice for patient safety and satisfaction.

Nursing Role:
Council: Collaborate to make interdisciplinary decisions about issues that affect nursing practice, taking into account best available evidence and feedback from peers on their respective units.
Unit: Members are responsible to communicate and disseminate information to their respective units on a monthly basis and to bring feedback to Professional Practice Council on policies and practice issues that affect patient care.

Scope:
Quality Council oversees and ensures quality patient clinical care and patient safety throughout the organization.

Purpose:
To bring together various clinical staff who care for patients in order to continuously improve the process/quality of patient care.

Nursing Role:
Council: To review data outcomes across the patient care delivery areas for best practice.
Unit: Communication of council work, facilitate initiatives and processes developed at or in or in conjunction with Council work and monitor and evaluate outcomes at the unit level.