CampusRN Job Blog
Mountain West Boardrooms Awakening to Advantage of Nursing Perspective
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
When Anne Hirsch, DNS, ARNP, senior associate dean for the Washington State University College of Nursing, was invited to be on the board for Empire Health Services in Eastern Washington, she knew she would be the only nurse among a group of physicians and community leaders.
What she did not realize, though, was that she was the first nurse in the history of this hospital system to join the board.
Although fellow board members have attested to the fact that Hirsch’s contribution to the board has been invaluable and even essential, studies suggest it is somewhat rare for nurses to have voting positions on hospital boards. One recent study of more than 120 community health systems showed that only 2.3% of the systems have nurses serving in that capacity on the hospital board.
However, that trend might be changing as boards in healthcare organizations and within the community begin to recognize the intrinsic value of the nursing point of view.
posted in: news, Washington
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