Baccalaureate Education: The Foundation for Healthcare Board Participation

The governance of healthcare organizations is becoming more complex and is prompting changes in board structure and membership. The presence and contributions of nurses on governance structures will favorably influence the future of health care. The essentials of baccalaureate nursing education, along with the general education curriculum, provide learning opportunities that result in nursing students developing the leadership skills needed to serve on hospital and healthcare boards. The purpose of this article is to present the perspective that graduates of baccalaureate nursing programs possess the foundation to participate as members of hospital and healthcare boards. This perspective is supported by the results of a survey of nursing faculty, many who have served or currently serve on healthcare boards and who provided overwhelming agreement that the foundational skills required for board participation are provided by the nursing curriculum.