AHA touts value of nurses on boards

An American Hospital Association Trustee Insight Q&A describes the value nurses bring to boards. Melissa Fitzpatrick, MSN, RN, a UNC Health Rex board member, says she brings the perspective of patients, families and communities. She tells stories to non-clinical board members about patient care and outcomes encapsulating metrics, graphs and charts, such as sentinel events or the implications of delayed discharges. Fitzpatrick says her stories help the board keep patient care at the forefront when making strategic decisions. According to the AHA 2022 National Health Care Governance Survey, 43% of hospitals reported having at least one nurse on their board, up from 37% in 2018.