Pharmacy shared governance: A partnership between frontline staff and management in a health-system pharmacy department.

PURPOSE: While shared governance in nursing is pervasive in health systems, very little has been written about shared governance in health-system pharmacy. This article describes the development and implementation of a new pharmacy shared governance structure in a health system pharmacy department.

SUMMARY: Shared governance is a participatory, collaborative, and democratic model seeking to increase staff engagement, autonomy, and job satisfaction. Shared governance represents a shift from hierarchical, top-down management toward a partnership between management and frontline staff that engages in shared decision making. This article introduces shared governance and describes the rationale, development, and phased implementation of a pharmacy shared governance structure at Children's Wisconsin. The first phase established four standing committees: Pharmacy Clinical Practice Committee, Pharmacy Education Committee, Residency Advisory Committee, and Recognition Committee. The second phase established pharmacist liaison positions and two additional standing committees: Workflow Committee and Medication Safety Committee. The pharmacy governance structure, including charges, membership criteria, membership term limits and benefits, decision-making process, and communication expectations are described, as well as identified opportunities for improvement and future plans to study its effectiveness.

CONCLUSION: The pharmacy governance structure described in this article may provide an example of shared governance that can be used in other health-system pharmacy departments as a mechanism to promote autonomy, engagement, and satisfaction among staff.