Nursing Professional Governance
What is Nursing Professional Governance (NPG)?
As professional nurses, we are accountable for governing our own practice. Our UVA Health NPG structure is the mechanism by which we engage in shared decision-making related to the outcomes of our nursing professional practice environment. These outcomes are aligned with the organizational strategic plan.
Professional Governance empowers nurses to elicit change by working alongside operational leaders to make critical decisions related to nursing practice. The structure looks different in every organization. Participation in Nursing Professional Governance is a professional responsibility for nurses at all levels.
Nursing Professional Governance at UVA Health University Medical Center
The Nursing Professional Governance Organization (NPGO) provides the mechanism for the discipline of Nursing to establish, uphold, and communicate its values and standards within UVA Health University Medical Center. The NPGO relies on several core documents as foundations for our work. These include:
- A Nursing Professional Practice Model
- Nursing Care Delivery System- Relationship Based Care
- The NPGO Bylaws and Operational Guidelines
- The Nursing Strategic Plan
Our Clinical Practice is Evidence-Based
Nursing practice is guided by the ANA 2015 Nursing: Scope and Standards of Practice, Third Edition; the ANA Code of Ethics for Nurses with Interpretive Statements (ANA, 2015); the Nurse Practice Act laws and regulations as defined by the Code of Virginia & the Virginia Board of Nursing; and the UVA Nursing Professional Practice Model.
Structure
Our structure is designed to serve two stakeholder groups: patients and nurses. The Nursing Cabinet is the governing body of the NPGO and includes the Chief Nursing Officer and representatives from a cross section of nursing practice settings. The NPGO Nursing Cabinet provides oversight for the Central and Regional Committees and their sub-committees.
For the patient outcomes focused committee side (Left side of structure), Local committee chairs serve as members of the Regional committees, and Regional chairs serve as members of the Central Clinical Practice Committee.
For the nurse focused side (Right side of structure), Central Committees include representative members from each Region.
All Central Committee Chairs serve as members of Nursing Cabinet.