Professional Governance Implementation: Successes, Failures, and Lessons Learned

Nursing professional governance structures provide the foundation and promote ownership of practice, accountability of practice outcomes, and partnerships based on equity with interprofessional colleagues within an organization. Shifting from a shared governance mindset to a professional governance mindset requires a culture change in addition to the development of professional governance structures. As with any structure and culture change, there are challenges, successes, opportunities for improvement, and many lessons learned. This paper shares the experience of one organization on the journey toward a culture and structure of professional governance.