Nurses’ lived experience serving on unit-based councils: A literature review

Abstract

Introduction: Shared governance (SG) is an organizational model that allows frontline nurses to have control over their daily work environment and nursing practice. Unit-based councils (UBC) are an important operational element of SG and its members are frontline nursing staff.

Purpose and methods: The purpose of this paper is to review the literature on UBCs and SG, staff nurses’ perceptions, and factors that influence their adoption and successful implementation.

Results: Five major themes emerged from the literature: perception of SG; leadership implications; improvement in patient care; increase in job satisfaction; and improvement in work environment.

Conclusions: Nurses serving on UBCs have perspectives different from managers on the success of SG and UBCs. SG is viewed as a journey that requires continuous support from nurse leaders to address any issues that may arise during this journey.