What is Nursing Professional Governance (NPG)?

As professional nurses, we are accountable for governing our own practice. Our UVA Health NPG structure is 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

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. The NPGO relies on several core documents as foundations for our work.  These include:

  • A Nursing Professional Practice Model
  • Nursing Care Delivery System
  • The Nursing Strategic Plan
  • The NPGO Bylaws
  • The NPGO Operational Guidelines

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 RNs. 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 arm, Local committee chairs serve as members of the Regional committees, Regional chairs serve as members of the Central Clinical Practice Committee.

For the RN Focused arm, Central Committees include representative members from each Region.

All Central Committee Chairs serve as members of Nursing Cabinet.