A concept analysis of power.

Using Walker and Avant's theory construction strategy, a concept analysis of power was conducted. Within the nursing literature, there exists a dialectic between types of power: power to vs. power over. This dialectic covers a wide range between goal attainment and powerlessness. The aim of this concept analysis was to examine power to for its potential fit with the phenomenon of nurses' lack of participation in professional organizations and on governing boards. The assumptions of this concept analysis are that power to is good, and that as humans with cognitive abilities, nurses have sufficient power to, whether they engage it or not. The Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Academic Search Premier, Business Source Elite, Google Scholar, ABI/INFORM Complete, Education Research Complete, Historical Abstracts, and PsychINFO were searched using the keywords power, nursing, and group. Peer-reviewed, scholarly journal articles from 1957 to 2019 were considered. The derived definition of power to is largely unchanged from its 17th century definition: the knowledge, freedom, and intention to do or to effect something. Self-assessing and nurturing knowledge, freedom, and intention, and identifying risk-preference among nurses may yield potential candidates for participation in professional nursing organizations and on governing boards.

Nurses at the table: A naturalistic inquiry of nurses on governing boards.

In an environment in which there is little or no nursing presence on governing boards in healthcare organizations (HCOs), physicians, and nonclinicians take responsibility for keeping the other board members apprised of the quality of patient care, including nursing-generated, patient safety initiatives. Governing boards in HCOs are either not appointing nurses to governing boards or are not appointing nurses in numbers that are commensurate with the size and vital contributions of the profession. As a result, competent nursing professionals with an intimate understanding of quality care and patient safety are not in decision-making roles that may redesign health care and improve patient care. The purpose of this qualitative study was to describe experiences of nurse board members who hold governing board appointments in HCOs, and to describe the facilitators of and barriers to holding governing board appointments, as experienced by those nurse board members. This novel research employed naturalistic inquiry to explore the experiences of 12 nurse board members who held appointments with voting privileges in HCOs. From the interview data emerged four distinct themes: leveraging relationships and networking, valuing the mission of the board, feeling respected for my participation, and committing to board work. Facilitators of and barriers to governing board appointments were suggested. Findings validated the few previous research studies found in the literature and have implications for nursing leadership and governance.