Vanderbilt University Medical Center Nursing conducted its 2012 Bylaws Convention earlier this week. The Nursing Bylaws are reviewed and amended every two years to ensure they are an up-to-date governing guide for VUMC’s nearly 6,000-member nursing workforce.
“The Bylaws Convention is a proxy for how we like to get our work done so that nurses have their fingerprints on it through staff and leadership engagement.,” said Marilyn Dubree, MSN, R.N., executive chief nursing officer, as she addressed the crowd. “The bylaws are a living document that represents the way we do our work.”
Dubree welcomed more than 150 delegates representing VUMC units, clinics and departments, and the 20-member Bylaw Task Force that has been preparing for this day for more than a year. Colleagues from Belmont University, the Tennessee Nurses Association and affiliate NorthCrest Medical Center were on hand to observe the process.
The delegates reviewed seven substantive amendments addressing the structure of various nursing leadership boards, Advanced Practice Nursing clarifications, dispute resolution improvements and the delegate structure for future conventions.
“Our nurse delegates have been involved at every step of the way, building up to today, and have used their own perspectives and voices to help clarify and strengthen what we do in nursing,” said Jerita Payne, R.N., chair of the Bylaws Task Force and assistant director, Clinical Transplant Services.
“I was pleased to see so much input and discussion, to see the delegates making motions and using their authority and this privilege to make our bylaws even stronger,” said Erin Tickle, R.N., director of Shared Governance. “This process would have been impossible and meaningless without their involvement.”
The Task Force will meet soon to discuss how best to implement changes, some of which may require more education and training.