Preparing yourself for board roles: nurses in governance

This article focuses on the need for nurses to begin to think about their potential roles as board members for health care organization or system boards. The transformation of US health care into integrated, value-based models that will serve people across the continuum of life is requiring a high level of expertise on boards of trustees. Nurses are uniquely qualified to serve as board experts on the models of care delivery, from the unique point of view of both a clinician and a business leader. They are advocates of patients and families. It is time for nurse leaders to assess both their interest in serving in a governance role and the ways they can pursue board membership.