Nurses at Mercy are empowered to make decisions about
their practice through a formal Shared Governance model. Shared Governance
insures that nurses have a voice in how care is delivered.
We support
nursing as a professional discipline that commits to quality, individualized
care of patients and their family/significant other as reflected in the
mission and values of Mercy Medical Center—Dubuque & Dyersville.
Our Shared
Governance model is built on the premise of teams coming together to create
and implement actions toward desired outcomes. Nurses from various units
interact with one another, present different perspectives about the delivery
of care, expand their awareness, broaden their knowledge base, and enhance
their ability to make decisions. Through this structure, patient care
and professional development are advanced.
Keys to Our Success:
| • | A majority of clinical decision-making is at the point of service. Decisions reside with unit or central teams in accordance with their specific authority and accountability. |
| • | A sufficient nursing structure exists to attain and sustain consistency of patient care throughout Mercy Medical Center. |
| • | Nursing responds with flexibility to changes at Mercy Medical Center. |
| • | Participation in Nursing Shared Governance by all nurses is an expectation. |
| • | Nursing will collaborate and communicate within nursing and with key stakeholders, as appropriate, in making nursing practice decisions. |
| • | Mercy Nursing Shared Governance is sustained by human and fiscal resources. Mercy provides an environment that supports the Shared Governance structure. |
| • | Mercy Nursing Shared Governance is dedicated to providing quality, evidenced-based, individualized nursing care across the continuum. |
Membership:
Membership shall include all registered nurses (RN) and licensed practical nurses (LPN) who hold a current license to practice nursing, are employed at Mercy Medical Center in Dubuque or Dyersville, and are involved in nursing care delivery.
Area and central team structure is shown in the following conceptual diagrams:
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