Jordan Gerard/ Winonan

After nearly four years of research, a group of Winona State University nursing students published an article in the “Western Journal of Nursing Research.”

The article was first published online in September 2013 and will be in the print edition of the journal this month.

Professor Cindy Scherb oversaw the group’s progress, and graduate nursing students Jamey Bina, Maria Schomburg and Lindsay Tippetts began to research the topic in fall 2010.

“After all the hard work that we put into our thesis and subsequent manuscript, it was very exciting to be a published author,” Tippetts said.

Their research topic was shared governance, which is a collaborative management style that encourages the involvement of front line nurses in the decision making process.

This concept has shown the nursing practice environment has enhanced, improved organizational outcomes and engages more nurses.

“Enhancing nurse involvement in decision-making is a starting point in addressing the nursing shortage,” Tippetts said, “and acts as one variable in assisting with the retention and recruitment of nurses.”

The group performed a descriptive comparative secondary data analysis. They compared the involvement of nurses without shared governance in 2004, with the same nurses in 2010, but this time under a shared governance system, Tippetts said.

The group was prepared to find the scores of nurses improved because of the expected positive outcomes of shared governance. The results of their research actually contradicted the existing research and the scores had dropped, Tippetts said.

“The most valuable thing I learned from the whole experience was that I enjoy research and would like to do more in my future,” Tippetts said.

The paper originally started as a 111-page thesis to fulfill the Nursing and Organizational Leadership part of the master’s nursing program at Winona State. Scherb said it was publishable.

“I was very proud of my thesis group and thankful for Cindy’s expertise and guidance through the process,” Tippetts said.

The group started working on the thesis in fall 2010, and the manuscript was written in summer 2012, which was reduced to 16 pages to meet the journal’s requirements.

Many revisions later, the manuscript was accepted in July 2013.

“The hardest thing about the whole process was finding enough time to dedicate to the lengthy and time-consuming endeavor,” Tippetts said. “The easiest thing about the research process as a whole was having an incredible team to work with.”