There are six councils within the Department of Nursing Shared Governance model. Registered Professional Nurses from all areas of the health system represent units at these councils. This includes both patient and resident care.
The council serves to provide strategic and operational direction for nursing. It integrates processes for alignment and empowerment into the practice environment. The Leadership Council is responsible for human, material and support resources within and affecting the continued operation of the Department of Nursing.
Quality Improvement Council
The council monitors and evaluates the appropriateness of nursing care, ensuring that care is provided within all regulatory standards, and expected outcomes are attained.
The council promotes and integrates evidence-based practice findings into nursing practice and education in the use and conduct of research. It critiques and disseminates research to nurses through Journal Club and collaborates with all disciplines in fostering a research culture. The council also provides evidence-based support for quality of care and quality improvement, implementing and ensuring the maintenance of the highest evidence-based standards of clinical care that are congruent with regulatory standards.
Nursing Educating Council
The council ensures that education is key to the professional development of nurses and high quality patient care.
Nursing Informatics Council
The council provides strategic and operational direction to the development and management of hospital information systems. Informatics applies computer technology to all areas of patient care and administration – service, education and research, with patient care decision-making processes performed by healthcare practitioners. Informatics facilitates the incorporation of data, information and knowledge to support patients, nurses and other healthcare professionals in their decision-making in all roles and settings.
Professional Work-life Council
The council serves to ensure the work-life environment is conducive to retention, and recruitment, and the advancement of professional practice.