The MaineHealth Maine Medical Center (MHMMC) shared governance model is a professional practice framework that distributes decision‑making authority among nurses and interdisciplinary partners, enabling frontline staff to actively shape clinical practice, quality and the work environment.
Practice Excellence
- Academic partnerships
- Advancement
- Clinical transformation
- Community
- Evidence-based practice
- Peer review
- Performance improvement
- Professional development
- Quality
- Recognition
- Relationships
- Research
- Safe patient & family-centered care
- Transformation leadership
Shared Governance
- Clinical nurse advancement council
- Interprofessional quality council
- Interprofessional research and innovations council
- Nursing education council
- Nursing informatics advisory council
- Nursing practice council
- Nursing professional excellence council
- Organizational decision-making groups
- Service line and organizational committees
- Unit-based councils
Care Delivery
- Care transitions across the continuum
- Collaborative practice
- Fundamentals of care framework
- Relationship
- Integration of care
- Context of care
- Independent nursing practice
- Service lines
- Specialty teams
The MHMMC shared governance model reflects an organizational commitment to partnership, accountability and excellence in patient- and family-centered care. Grounded in the ANA Code of Ethics, ANA Standards of Practice, AACN Healthy Work Environment standards, and the Fundamentals of Care Framework, the model affirms that nurses and interprofessional partners closest to the work are essential leaders in shaping clinical practice, education, quality, safety and outcomes.
Shared decision-making is transparent, inclusive and structured to empower clinicians at all levels to advance evidence-based practice, steward resources responsibly and align efforts with organizational priorities. MHMMC has intentionally integrated a unified shared governance model that brings together nurses and interprofessional partners from Portland, Biddeford and Sanford to collaboratively influence practice, education, quality, research, informatics and professional development.
Each council is structured to ensure broad, campus-based representation and active participation from frontline staff and leaders across all sites, promoting consistent standards while honoring local expertise and needs. Through aligned charters, clearly defined priorities and regular cross campus collaboration, these councils provide an inclusive forum where voices from every location contribute to decision-making, advance organizational priorities and strengthen high quality, patient centered care.
Practice excellence is advanced through continuous learning, inquiry and innovation and supported by academic partnerships, professional development, peer review, research and performance improvement. Transformational leadership and collaborative relationships foster a culture of recognition, engagement and community connection.
Care delivery is holistic, relational and coordinated across the continuum, honoring independent nursing practice while promoting interdisciplinary collaboration, effective transitions of care and specialty expertise. Together, shared governance, practice excellence and exemplary care delivery form an integrated framework that promotes ownership, resilience and innovation—ensuring compassionate, high-quality care and the continued advancement of professional practice across MaineHealth Maine Medical Center.
MHMMC nursing council structure
The purpose of the nursing executive council is to coordinate, communicate and integrate the work of MHMMC nursing councils and conduct business that provides the necessary environment to maintain excellence.
Nursing Education Council
- Facilitates the education and development of the nursing care team across all stages of their career, promoting staff satisfaction and retention, thereby advancing the quality of health care
- Collaborates with stakeholders to develop meaningful, relevant education, training, and communication to facilitate practice and policy change in response to quality, safety, and regulatory requirements
Clinical Nurse Advancement Council
- Formally recognizes and rewards increasing levels of clinical expertise and commitment to patient care
- Reviews staff applications and make decisions on advancement of peers
- Ensures program integrity and make changes to the program accordingly
- Guidelines are available to staff at each MaineHealth location
Nursing Professional Excellence Council
- Promotes a culture of nursing professional excellence and enhances the shared governance model that enables professional nursing staff to provide high quality patient- and family-centered care
- Promotes community outreach, certification in nursing, nurse wellness and excellence in nursing
Interprofessional Research and Innovation Council
- Advances nursing scholarship by promoting evidence‑based practice through interdisciplinary collaboration
- Partners with other councils using the COMET framework to:
- Integrate research, practice, quality and education
- Support dissemination of evidence‑based care
- Educates, mentors and supports colleagues in the research process
- Encourages use of Knowledge Connection and Ovid Synthesis
- Fosters a culture of curiosity, reflection and passionate practice that strengthens the MHMMC nursing research community
Nursing Practice Council
- Develops and approves policies, procedures and standards of care that reflect evidence-based practice, regulatory standards, federal and state law
- Monitors practice, policies and procedures for safe practice
- Supports and guides staff seeking to implement improvements which enhance quality of care and the growth of professional nursing practice
Interprofessional Quality & Safety Council
- Demonstrates the value of patient-centered care to achieve optimal patient outcomes and safety while maintaining patient satisfaction and keeping costs to a minimum
- Ensures that nursing practice supports evidenced-based care and best patient outcomes through:
- No Harm Index committee to include Safe Mobility (Falls), Hospital Acquired Pressure Injuries (HAPI), Catheter Associated Urinary Tract Infections (CAUTI), and Central Line-Associated Bloodstream Infections (CLABSI)
- NDNQI
- Patient satisfaction measures that pertain to nursing practice
Nursing Informatics Advisory Council
- Supports and guides the delivery of safe, effective and efficient patient-centered care throughout all clinical areas by:
- Ensuring that all components of the EHR related to clinical practice support evidence based/best practice model
- Working collaboratively with providers, clinical support services and IT to develop the best solution for all care team members using all technology systems