Survey Research: Do All RN Types Have the Same Perceptions Regarding Professional Nursing Governance?

Area of Science:

• Nursing Management
• Healthcare Administration
• Organizational Behavior

Background:

• Shared governance models are linked to better nurse-related outcomes.
• Understanding how different registered nurse (RN) roles perceive shared governance is crucial but understudied.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate differences in professional nursing governance perceptions among clinical nurses, managers, and other RNs.
• To examine associations between shared governance perceptions and nurse-related outcomes based on RN type.

Main Methods:

• Utilized Index of Professional Nursing Governance (IPNG) scores from 502 RNs across three hospitals.
• Employed descriptive and inferential statistical methods to analyze data by RN type and unit-based outcomes.

Main Results:

• Shared governance was the prevailing perception, with no significant differences found across RN types.
• One subscale, 'control over personnel,' showed traditional governance perceptions, but this was not statistically significant.
• No significant differences were observed in the association between IPNG scores and outcomes data when stratified by RN type.

Conclusions:

• Clinical nurses, nurse managers, and other RNs reported similar perceptions of shared governance.
• RN role or type did not significantly influence perceptions of professional nursing governance.