Nursing shared governance is firmly enculturated at Mercy. Formally established in 2000, Mercy's direct care nurses have been the decision makers about nursing practice for a long time. We believe in pervasive leadership at all levels and locations of the organization. Strong shared governance exists at the department level and across nursing services, with multiple communication channels in place to keep everyone informed, such as email, Nursing News, and electronic updates through HealthStream.

"Shared governance is nursing's opportunity to affect patient care. It is nurses deciding the future of their own practice. Shared Leadership gives us the authority as well as the responsibility to improve patient care by utilizing evidence-based practice when we create or update our policies, when we educate our patients or coworkers and when we develop methods to improve performance and patient outcomes." -Angela, Leader of the Nursing Shared Governance Performance Improvement Team.