AONL Professional Governance Conference Attendees Urged to Drive Change

Keynote speakers welcomed more than 300 nurse leaders attending the annual AONL Professional Governance Leadership Conference in Denver this week. Beverly Hancock, DNP, RN, AONL senior director of leadership development, kicked off the conference with a brief history of professional governance. “We have the opportunity to be part of this historic moment in nursing, to fully embrace ownership of the practice of nursing … and to leave our mark as those who rose up in the face of challenges and envisioned a hopeful future.” she said. Professional governance expert Tim Porter-O’Grady, PhD, RN, noted “the health care system that we had before the pandemic won’t take us where we’re going ... nursing is holding a health care system together that is about to break,” he explained. “By surrendering and releasing the attachment to the past, nurse leaders can drive change.” Professional governance is built upon the power society gives nurses to improve health, Porter-O’Grady added, noting that instilling all nurses with the imperative for professional accountability and mission will transform the health for the populations they serve.