Who Controls Nursing? Essay Example

The answer to who controls nursing is not a simple one.  First of all, organizational, professional, and regulatory rules in the United States and Canada (as well as other countries) define various categories of nurses and the education and exam results for each prior to their becoming licensed and eligible to practice their profession.  They also define the scope of practise at each level of nursing.  While some nurses end up working in private PR actioners’ offices and clinics, most, however, work in hospitals whose health care dollars come from government; and it is from this money that the number and types of nurses is determined. Years ago, nurses had little or no say as to how many health care dollars were needed for their institution and where they could be most beneficial. This has, however, been slowly changing.

Much attention is now being given to control of nursing at the hospital level which the American Nursing Credentialing Center refers to as “shared or unit-based decision making related to an environment in which administrators use a participatory management style” (Kramer et al, 2009).  Several other definitions exist in this regard, but the one by staff nurses in magnet hospitals is a very comprehensive and well-received one.  It defines control of nursing as “a work process through which nurses at all levels of the organization have input  and make decisions on issues of importance that affect nurses, at unit, departmental and hospital levels, and the quality of care provided…the decision making is interdependent and shared…” (ibid.).

However, even with research results and various guidelines, it is difficult to achieve true shared governance without effective communication and best management practices.  Nonetheless, every effort must be made to achieve this because research shows that where nurses have a high degree of control, they are happier employees than where they do not.

References

Kramer, N., Schmalenberg, C., Maguire, P., Brewer, B.B., Burke, R., Chmielewski, L., Cox, K.,  Kishner, J.,  Krugman, M., Meeks-Sjostrom, D., and Waldo, M. (June 2009),  Walk the Talk:  Promoting Control of Nursing Practice and a Patient-Centered Culture in Critical Care Nurse.  Retrieved on August 04, 2012, from http://ccn.aacnjournals.org/content/29/3/77.full.