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Description
Problem: Unit Practice Councils (UPCs) are foundational to Nursing Professional Governance (NPG), a structure that is designed to foster autonomy, accountability and authority for nurses. These councils are vital for empowering nurses to engage in decision-making and implementing practice changes. At one large pediatric hospital, UPC effectiveness varied across units, largely due to differences in nurse manager engagement and support. This variation highlighted a critical gap in how nurse managers were supporting UPCs within their unit. To close this gap, it was important to identify leadership best practices and behaviors that lead to successful UPCs. The following PICOT question was developed: “What are the best practices and leadership behaviors of nurse managers to support Nursing Professional Governance Unit Practice Councils?”
Literature/Evidence: Utilizing OVID and databases, CINAHL and PubMed, a comprehensive review of 22 articles, including integrative reviews and qualitative studies, was conducted to explore leadership behaviors that support NPG and UPCs. Across literature, empowerment, accountability, and presence are frequently highlighted as essential leadership behaviors for effective shared governance that enhances engagement and growth. Clavelle and Tarasenko (2024) emphasized accountability as key to advancing NPG, while Rollins et al. (2024) stressed the importance of adaptable leadership styles.
Practice Change: To address the variation in UPC effectiveness across units, a practice change initiative was implemented to examine whether the leadership behaviors demonstrated in high-performing UPCs aligned with those identified in the literature. The evidence highlighted key behaviors such as effective communication and collaboration, relational leadership practices, leadership support, empowerment and shared decision-making. To explore this alignment, a questionnaire was developed consisting of open-ended questions aimed at uncovering recurring themes in leadership behaviors that contribute to the success and sustainability of UPCs within the organization.
Implementation: Using the developed questionnaire, structured interviews were conducted with UPC leaders and nurse managers from four high-performing units to explore alignment between leadership behaviors demonstrated in practice and those identified in the literature. The qualitative data collected was thematically coded and analyzed across roles to identify the recurring themes.
Outcomes: Following the interviews, a consensus emerged regarding the leadership behaviors that contributed to the individual success of the UPCs. Relational leadership, consistent support and shared decision-making emerged as key drivers of UPC effectiveness, aligning closely with evidence from literature. UPC leaders consistently expressed that feeling supported and empowered by their nurse manager was crucial for their ability to lead. These best practices were integrated into annual NPG training to elevate and standardize UPC performance.
Recommendations: The findings from this initiative underscored the critical role of leadership behaviors in the success and sustainability of UPCs. It is recommended to integrate these best practices into leadership development programs and ongoing NPG training. Nurse managers should be equipped with tools and strategies to cultivate relational leadership, provide visible and meaningful support, and facilitate collaborative decision-making. By standardizing these leadership behaviors, organizations can strengthen the foundation of NPG, enhance nurse engagement, and improve patient outcomes. Continued evaluation and feedback from UPC leaders will be essential to refine these practices and ensure their sustained impact across the organization.
Publication Date
10-2025
Disciplines
Pediatric Nursing
Recommended Citation
Fields, Katie, "Elevating Nursing Leadership: How Nurse Managers Empower Unit Practice Councils" (2025). TCU EBP Fellowship. 20.
https://scholarlycollection.childrens.com/nursing-posters-tcuebp/20
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
