Central Maine Healthcare’s nursing program includes a Shared Governance Council, in which nurses and nurse leaders collaborate on decisions that affect and improve every aspect of the nursing profession at CMH. This collaboration benefits our nurses by helping them work as a team and creates a workplace culture of inclusion, engagement and compassion. Our Shared Governance Councils directly contribute to our vision of nurses providing holistic, high-quality care to our patients.
Our patients benefit from these Shared Governance Councils, as well. By sharing decision-making responsibilities between nurses and nurse leaders, our teams can work together to ensure safer, more effective patient care and more successful patient outcomes.
Our 6 Shared Governance Councils
Our six councils include nurses from across CHM. The councils meet regularly to create and develop work plans to meet goals in the following six areas.
- The System Nursing Education Council focuses on finding educational opportunities that allow nurses to not only advance their careers but also improve patient-centered care. The team works with partners both internally and externally to create a culture that supports lifelong learning.
- The Informatics Council maintains a close relationship with the information technology (IT) department to keep communications between departments smoothly, optimize and improve utilization of our electronic medical record system and advocate for other IT resources that allow nurses to provide safe, high-quality care.
- The Patient Experience Council focuses on meeting patients’ and families’ needs at all CMH facilities. The council works with nurses to improve patient and family satisfaction scores and develops ways to improve the CMH nursing culture such that high-quality patient and family care motivates all actions and decisions.
- The Professional Practice Council provides leadership strategies, encourages career development and helps nurses maintain a professional, compassionate relationship with patients and team members. Its efforts give nurses the resources necessary to provide superior patient care.
- The Quality & Patient Safety Council recommends improvements to nursing practices throughout our healthcare system for the comfort and safety of our patients. Goals include expanding efforts to standardize clinical practices and improve system-wide communication about quality initiatives and data.
- The Recruitment & Retention Council develops strategies to create a work environment where our nurses feel valued and supported and provides them with opportunities for career growth. For example, the council has implemented a Mentorship Program for nurses who have completed residency training and a Professional Advancement Program that rewards nurses who pursue clinical excellence.
