Pharmacy shared governance: A partnership between frontline staff and management in a health-system pharmacy...

While shared governance in nursing is pervasive in health systems, very little has been written about shared governance in health-system pharmacy. This article describes the development and implementation of a new pharmacy shared governance structure in a health system pharmacy department.

Shared governance is a participatory, collaborative, and democratic model seeking to increase staff engagement, autonomy, and job satisfaction. Shared governance represents a shift from hierarchical, top-down management toward a partnership between management and frontline staff that engages in shared decision making. This article introduces shared governance and describes the rationale, development, and phased implementation of a pharmacy shared governance structure at Children's Wisconsin. The first phase established four standing committees: Pharmacy Clinical Practice Committee, Pharmacy Education Committee, Residency Advisory Committee, and Recognition Committee. The second phase established pharmacist liaison positions and two additional standing committees: Workflow Committee and Medication Safety Committee. The pharmacy governance structure, including charges, membership criteria, membership term limits and benefits, decision-making process, and communication expectations are described, as well as identified opportunities for improvement and future plans to study its effectiveness.

The pharmacy governance structure described in this article may provide an example of shared governance that can be used in other health-system pharmacy departments as a mechanism to promote autonomy, engagement, and satisfaction among staff.