Understanding Nurses’ Experiences and Contributions to Governing Boards

Abstract

The nursing profession has long valued and emphasized the importance of leadership from the bedside to all levels of organizations. Involvement at the board level allows nurses to create institutional processes to improve the delivery of services, set policies, and establish benchmarks to address pressing issues. No research exists to identify which skills nurses find most helpful in executing board responsibilities and what experiences lead to the attainment of these skills. The purpose of this study was to develop a repository of clear and relevant items that could be used to establish an instrument that measures nurses’ professional experiences and board member responsibilities. This article describes our study methods, and results, including five emerging themes that describe nurses’ perception of board activities and their board participation. These themes encompassed the intertwining of experiences and skills, foundational experiences that support credibility, transferable skills, use of policy processes, and the importance of networking. Discussion of our findings, limitations, and implications for practice can inform professional development activities to support nurses as they pursue board service, and the development of an instrument to evaluate the impact of their experiences, effectiveness, and perceived contributions when serving on boards.