Qualifications of Executive Nurses for Service on Hospital Boards

Objective: The purpose of this qualitative survey was to document executive nurse leaders' perception of their own leadership qualities in the context of the American Hospital Association (AHA) recommended membership requirements for executive hospital board appointment.

Background: Hospital boards of trustees are increasingly responsible for the quality of care and its impact on financial performance. High-performing boards are focused on the accountability of chief executive officer for quality metrics. Nurse leaders have valuable insight into key shared governance issues such as quality of care, financial performance, legal requirements, and regulatory oversight.

Methods: Fifty senior-level nurse executive members polled from the American Organization of Nurse Leaders, the Texas Organization of Nurse Leaders, and the Texas Nurse Practitioners Association completed an online quantitative survey using The Center for Healthcare Governance (CHG) Assessment Tool© of the AHA, which details a list of skills, experience, and personal qualities for executive hospital board placement. Respondents ranked their individual knowledge and skills on a 4-point Likert scale.

Results: Participant responses indicated that senior-level nurse executives have significant expertise in the key areas of quality, patient safety and performance, healthcare administration and policy, and business management. Areas ranking lower are those associated with organizational specialties: legal, construction project management, and finance.

Conclusion: This information can be used to educate executive hospital boards regarding the qualifications of nurse leaders members. Nursing leaders, professional organizations, and academia can use this information to assess the skills of senior nursing leaders as it relates to potential board appointments.